


Me, Myself, and I

by ChunkyShipsAhoy



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, Youtube RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Brotp, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mild Language, Non-Youtubers AU, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Septiplier - Freeform, Slow Burn, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-08 07:45:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8836207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChunkyShipsAhoy/pseuds/ChunkyShipsAhoy
Summary: Sean McLoughlin, a young man of 26, has been a university student studying game development for about two months. Mark, one of his classmates, has become a very close friend of his during this time. Everything changes when he starts experiencing these strange nightmares. Now, something seeks to take over his body and make his life a living hell. Will he be able to keep it secret from everyone around him, or lose everyone he cares about?*Mainly updates on Sundays!*





	1. Seeing double

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He looked back up at the mirror to see his reflection.  
> A familiar face that didn’t belong to him stared back. Piercing blue eyes saw right through Sean, until their color turned into a distorted mix of black and green. Its lips slowly opened into a ghastly smirk.

Sean woke up in the middle of the night and immediately sat up. Any and all traces of his bed sheets had been kicked or knocked off his bed. His body, drenched with sweat, felt an intense burning coming from within, despite how bad he shook in the cold air. So many thoughts barreled through his mind, making it nearly impossible to think. The only thing Sean needed to do at this rate was to calm down and breathe. He held his head and tried to cool the heat radiating from his face. There’s no need to worry, it was just a nightmare…  
In fact, he’d been plagued with the same unexplainable nightmare for a while, but could never remember what happened or why it scared him so much. He could only remember waking up and feeling fear, panic, and dread wash over him.  
“Dammit……” he sighed, running his fingers through his messy green hair. After groping through the darkness that surrounded him, the Irishman picked up his phone and checked the time. 4:30, he thought. I’ll have one hell of a headache after I wake up later. He fell back in bed, shutting his eyes tight, and groaned in annoyance. It would take forever to him to fall back asleep at this rate. Sean grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around himself, starting to think about his nightmare. As he recalled, a few words came to mind. Distorted, ugly, and covered in a disgusting black, they stood out from the rest of the chaos.  
“I am here”  
Sean pondered on what it all meant for a bit. Then, warm comfort of his covers started to do their magic. His eyelids seemed to gradually get harder the longer he stayed awake.  
Everything slowly faded.  
~  
Students were bustling to and fro from class to class. As it neared the start of class, most quickly cleared the halls. Mark stood outside the classroom door, waiting for Jack to burst in at any minute now with a small pile of scribbled test notes about to slip from his grasp.  
It wasn’t unusual for Jack to be almost late to class. Even though Jack hated sleep, his body surely didn’t. Every time Jack fell asleep, he would practically slip into a comatose state. With it being nearly impossible for him to wake up at a decent time, Mark figured that a good wakeup call could knock some sense into him.  
~  
The loud ringing of his phone broke through the Irishman’s dreams. Sean groaned, grabbing for the source of the tortuous, loud music. Pressing the small button on the side, the device woke up. With one slide of his finger, the ringing stopped and was replaced by a worried voice.  
“Jack, where the hell are you?! Class is about to start and I don’t see you anywhere. I am not covering for your ass when we have exams.”  
Jack’s tired eyes instantly opened.” S-Shit, I’ll be there in a few minutes. “  
Of all the days someone could sleep in for school, an exam day wouldn’t be one of them. He frantically tossed the covers over to the side and rushed to get ready for school. With barely any time to make it to class, Jack managed to take a shower, brush his teeth, find somewhat presentable clothes, and make it out the door with a Pop tart shoved in his pocket before 9:30. After fumbling with his keys, the green haired man got in his car and drove as fast (and as legally) as he could.  
Just a few minutes before the class started, Jack came breathlessly straggling in. Mark wanted to scold him, but now was not the time. The two walked inside the classroom together and Mark helped him review some important subjects for a few brief moments before their professor passed out tests.  
Jack didn’t know what to do during the test. Mark made everything seem so easy for him to understand. He thought that Mark’s little lecture just filled Jack with false self-confidence. Glancing over at the smug bastard, Jack saw just how faster he was. Mark sat calmly at his desk, breezing through the exam with ease. Goddammit, Jack thought. Mark would have been a much better fucking teacher than the professor himself.  
Looking back down at his bare test, the Irishman tried the best he could.  
It wasn’t like Jack wasn’t adept at math, he just didn’t do well on tests. The anxiety made it easier to forget the simple rules and equations. Blanks would cover subjects that he could finish on his homework in ten minutes or less. With time definitely not by his side, he had no choice but to keep trying until something clicked.  
After some sort of divine intervention, Jack started to get the hang of things. The process came to him easier now and he remembered some of the steps. As soon as exams were over, Jack handed in his test to the teacher and started his walk to the café across the street. Although he didn’t get as much time as he wanted for the test, he knew he earned a fair grade; Not a great grade, but a decent grade. This was enough to give him ease that his grade average wouldn’t take a damaging hit and it didn’t damage his lingering appetite from breakfast.  
Mark waited for him at their usual table toward the back windows. The sunlight filled the room with an light glow and gave them a pleasant view of their surroundings, making their meal much more enjoyable. Because Mark finished his test earlier, he decided to leave for the café as soon and possible and not to loiter around the classrooms. Since his form of waiting involved not-so-quietly raging at small handheld games or apps on his phone, Mark figured he’d be deemed a “disturbance” (a polite way of saying an annoying asshole) to the other teachers if he stayed. The tiny golden bell hanging slightly above the door alerted the staff that a new customer had come in.  
“Mark,” Jack said. “How long have you been sitting here?”  
“Not very long, at least I think so.” Mark replied without looking up. He busy was concentrating on beating his high score.  
Jack down in the chair across from Mark, feeling unusually exhausted. “Hey, you know what my usual is right?” he asked.  
“Black coffee with a little bit of French vanilla cream and sugar with a- Goddamn Unicorn piece of shit!” he recalled before trailing off into a silent mutter of curses.  
Jack chuckled, “I’ll just have the coffee. You can keep your robot unicorn or whatever.” Jack ambled to the bathrooms down the small corridor.  
There was one Men’s bathroom and one Women’s bathroom. Both were kept nice, neat, tidy, and fresh for the customers at all times. He entered the Men’s bathroom and quietly shut the door behind him. The room smelled of a mix a light orange mist and soap. Jack looked into the mirror and saw a tired version of himself looking back at him. Turning on the faucet, he gathered some of the cold, clear water running down in his hands. He splashed the cool water against his face and tried to rub away his fatigue. He looked back up at the mirror to see his reflection.  
A familiar face that didn’t belong to him stared back. Piercing blue eyes saw right through Sean, until their color turned into a distorted mix of black and green. Its lips slowly opened into a ghastly smirk.  
Sean looked at the image in shock. The sudden fear tore right through his tired expression. He shut his eyes for a few moments and looked back, finally seeing his old self again. He paused to think about what the just happened and blamed it on lack of sleep. Not wanting to waste any more time, he made his way back to his table with Mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all of you who have gotten this far, thank you for reading this! I've always wanted to try writing my own fic, but was too scared (cause I'm a little bitch). This story started out as a time killer while I waited for my feed to update. After I wrote 1,000 words, I knew I just had to do something with it. Please feel free to comment or leave a kudos. Oh, and sorry for my grammar orz.


	2. At the Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Jack comes back, Mark tries to cheer him up.

Mark, not wanting an upset stomach before he even ate a single bite, put his phone down just in time to see his friend walk back to the table. He noticed that Jack’s usually bubbly appearance and goofy smile had vanished. It didn’t take an Engineer to figure out that something was wrong.   
“Hey,” Mark asked somberly. “What’s on your mind?”  
Jack shook his head and dismissed the question. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” His face was devoid of smiles. There was only a distant gaze left in thought.  
Mark hesitantly sat back in his chair, wanting to know but not wanting to pry. “Alright….” He decided moving to a different topic would be help get something out of him. “So, tell me why you’re covered in water?” Mark picked up one of the napkins and offered it to Jack.  
A hint of a smile crept onto the Irishman’s face. He accepted the napkin and wiped off his face. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I was just trying to wake myself up with some cold water. That test was absolutely draining.”  
Mark sighed, glad his friend was partly back to normal. “Well, it would also help if you went to bed at a reasonable hour and woke up a few hours before school. You wouldn’t have to rush like today.”  
“Hey,” Jack started. “That wasn’t my fault. I woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard ass time getting back to sleep. “  
Mark tried not to laugh. Instead, he decided to childishly be a dick. That’s always more appreciated. “Aw, did you have a nightmare? Poor Jackaboy can’t handle a wittle dream?”  
Jack balled up the wet napkin and threw it at Mark. “Fuck you, not all of us can have amazing dreams like you.”  
Both men stopped when the waitress finally gave them their trays.   
Mark looked at his order, instantaneously losing all interest in conversation. There, right in front of him, lay a delicious panini with a latte, two mini-sandwiches and three cookies. Now was the time for him to momentarily commence stuffing his face full of food and enjoying it.  
Jack looked at his tray seeing his usual drink paired with a panini and a brownie. Mark must have ordered the small snack for him without asking. It wasn’t necessary, as Jack could have easily ordered food after he came back from the restroom, but it was appreciated.   
After getting a taste of their delicious brunch, they got down to business.   
“So, how are we going to spend the break?” Mark asked. “We just finished our midterms today, so let’s get all the planning over with too.” He took a bite of one of his chocolate chip cookies and gushed a little when it melted in his mouth. He felt that this is what bliss tasted like.   
Jack took a bite of his panini. “Why not have everybody group up? We can have Felix, Bob, and Wade over with us. They’re off too, right?”  
Mark pondered for a bit while he chose his next delicious victim. “Where are we going to do this at? Plus, what are we gonna do?” He took a small bite of his panini and took a sip of his latte.   
“We’ll do what we always do,” Jack replied. “Play videogames and talk about shit.”  
Mark chuckled. “More like talk shit.”  
Jack took a small sip of his coffee. “Don’t be jealous, Mark. I already know I can kick your ass in any game, any day.”  
“We’ll see about that,” Mark challenged.  
It didn’t take long for them to decide what games they would play and what they would have to eat. It only took another twenty minutes for them to successfully plan everything out and finish their meal. Mark left soon afterwards, going home to clean up his apartment a little and take care of his dog, Chica.  
Jack drove home, wanting to get some extra shut eye to and get everything he needed ready as well.   
Without any traffic in his way, Sean arrived home in about ten minutes. He parked his car in his usual space and walked upstairs to the little apartment he owned on the left. With a few fumbles of his keys, he pulled himself inside and plopped onto the couch. All of the stress of University eased onto him at once. It was already the middle of the year. He relaxed and let the stress all melt away. That is, until he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I promise that this will all be worth it soon. I'm trying to build up this intro to a certain point. Stay tuned for more. Also, thank you for the kudos~*


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean wakes up from his blackout in a different place and in a lot of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's hard to wake up from a nightmare if you aren't even asleep."  
> \- j.s.  
> TW: Blood, brief gore, bodily harm

Sean woke up hours later sprawled out in an uncomfortable position on the floor of his bedroom. His body ached and throbbed in pain, especially near his core. Even though he could barely remember blacking out on the couch, the Irishman had no memory whatsoever of moving to his room. It would have been easy to blame his new position on sleepwalking. Too easy.  
He noticed that the apartment seemed a bit hotter than usual. Thankfully, the bedroom windows were already cracked open, ushering in a faint, beautiful ray of moonlight and a few cold breezes. Sean paused for a moment, wanting to peak at the moonlit sky. Unlike LA, his home in Ireland always had clear skies with bright stars twinkling through the night. It almost felt reassuring.  
However, something still didn’t feel right. Despite the calming moonlight, something felt eerie about the darkness around him. It was almost like the dark was swallowing him. Sean stood up and stretched for a moment. A shot of pain went through his body, causing him to fall back down and hold himself. Once some of the pain subsided, he got back up, walked to the doorway and tried to turn on the lights.  
The light switch did nothing to help him.  
“Dammit,” he muttered. “The power must be out”. He took the dying phone out of his pocket and used its flashlight instead.  
The room was in all kinds of disarray. What used to be the comfortable bedsheets on his bed had been brutishly torn to rags. His pillows were ripped open, bursting out with stuffing. Patches of the scattered cotton laid a trail to the doorway. The Irishman hesitantly followed the trail and opened the door.  
What he saw horrified him.  
Blood not only stained the floor, but spattered the walls as well. Red handprints dragged long paths around the walls of the short hallway. With his phone somewhat illuminating the room, cryptic words circled in more blood came into view.  
LET ME OUT  
Sean was completely left shaking in fear. What wanted to be let out? Who or what could have done this? He doubled over in pain once more and leaned against the wall. He knew the pain would continue unless he stopped moving. Then, a sinking suspicion made his stomach drop. If he stopped moving, he would be more vulnerable to whatever was still in the apartment.  
Sean felt sick to his stomach. Playing videogames with blood and violence in them was easy. Seeing all of this actual blood was not good for him. It was like he was in an actual horror game, caught in a bloody game of hide and seek. But, wondering where all of this blood came from was worse.  
He shined the phone’s flashlight down at his own body. The fingertips were covered in dark, dried up blood. His palms were stained with patches of red. Lifting up his shirt, he saw several lacerations across his chest and bruising around his stomach.  
Sean couldn’t handle much more of this madness. The heat, along with the horrible state his home was in, was taking a toll on his body. He needed help from someone, anyone. For now, he needed to cool off get some water and call for help. Passing out would only add to his problems. He hobbled over to the bathroom near his bedroom because it had a lock and access to cool water. Finally, when he opened the bathroom door, he found the last surprise waiting for him.  
There, laying in the sink, was a dead bird.  
Its feathers had been scattered around the sink, as if something had tortured the bird before gutting the poor creature. Some of the entrails and insides were used to tie together the creature’s limbs. Its arms had been stretched out in an unnatural position that must have dislocated its wings. At last, there was a deep slit across the neck. This would have silenced the bird, making it easier to kill. A knife was purposely positioned through the bird, as if to cruelly make sure it had been finished off. It was a painful sight to see.  
The flies, however, had no remorse as they swarmed around the rotting corpse.  
Sean kneeled by the toilet and threw up everything he had on his stomach until he dry-heaved. His nausea, paired up with the heat, caused him to become dizzier by the second. He needed to get some cool water. Not wanting to give in to heat exhaustion, the green-haired man crawled to the bathtub and turned on the cool water.  
The tub slowly, but surely, filled with water. Setting his phone down on a safe corner of the tub, he took a deep breath and gripped the edge. With the remnants of his strength, he ignored the pain and climbed into the tub. Every cool droplet of water that soaked his clothes helped clear his mind. A shot of pain went through him, quickly reminding him that his problems were surely not solved. Shaking, he struggled to get his thoughts in order.  
A complete psychopath did this.  
It had to be someone he knew, or worse: It could even be one of his friends or family.  
He needed someone he trusted to come get him. Protecting his phone from the water, Sean called the first person that came to mind.  
“...Hello?” The poor boy had no time to filter his Irish accent. Trying to control his trembling voice, Sean hoped it would be clear enough for his friend to understand.  
“M-Mark, please help me…”  
“Holy shit. Jack, where are you? What’s wrong?”  
“At my apartment, p-please come get me”  
“I’ll be right there- “  
-CALL ENDED-  
Mark Edward Fischbach has never felt any more terrified in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to you all! Sorry for posting a day later, I was off enjoying time with my family. Anyway, this chapter has very hard for me to write. It spiraled from one thing to another. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.


	4. A light in the darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark Edward Fischbach has never been so terrified.  
> Not only does he lose some of his “precious beauty sleep”, but one of his best friends seems to be in mortal danger.

Mark Edward Fischbach has never been so terrified.  
Not only does he lose some of his “precious beauty sleep”, but one of his best friends seems to be in mortal danger.  
Had this entire situation been fake, Mark would have simply told Jack to cut the crap until morning (which is a nice way of saying fuck off). However, Jack isn’t one to ask for help like that. First, he is a very humble person who doesn’t want to be a burden to others. Second, during the call, it was easy to tell that Jack could barely keep it together. His voice was shaking and his accent was thicker than ever. The poor Irishman almost sounded like he was terrified to tears. If everything goes well, it would be the first and last time that Mark would ever have to hear Jack in such a state.  
Mark came to one final decision: Get up right now and help him. The American quickly got up and began rushing around his room. There was no time to properly get ready for the day. The only thing he needed to do was grab something decent to wear and drive as fast he could to go save his friend.  
Of course, everything is in the way just as one is trying to do something important. The American hadn’t gotten around to organizing his room yet. After school, Mark would simply collapse on the bed for a few hours, do his homework, study, eat, and get ready for the next day. This turned his room into an obstacle course. In order to avoid tripping on textbooks and falling flat on his ass or stepping on any tails, he had to carefully aim for the floor. This was easier said than done.  
Chica, his beloved puppy, woke up during the commotion. Seeing Mark rushing around getting ready, she assumed that they were going to go on an early morning walk. Chica ran around the apartment with Mark, ultimately getting in his way. Mark, having no time to play with his precious puppy, calmed her down and left her in his room. After struggling to find some socks and shoes, Mark ran out in his sweatpants, jacket and T-shirt and went to his car.  
Even though Mark and Jack both lived close to the school, they weren’t that close to each other. With traffic and all, it would take at least twenty minutes for one to get to the other’s home.  
Luckily for Mark, L.A. has little to no traffic early in the morning. Most people were more concerned about sleeping than driving. This would cut his travel time in half.  
On the other hand, he had to face the agonizing wait times for the red lights. The first red light that flashed in front of him wasn’t too bad, and at least the one car that was waiting got its turn to finally go across the street. Another red light flashed, and Mark simply waited until he had an epiphany. _Jack is still in danger. This is no time to be calm. There is a red light absolutely wasting your time. What if you couldn’t make it?_ There was an endless flood of fear and anxiety pooling within Mark. After two times of being stopped by a red light, the driver was internally losing it. The moment the light turned green, his car sped down the street.  
When Mark got to the apartment complex, he tried calling Jack again.  
\- NO ANSWER -  
With a hope and a prayer, Mark went upstairs and tried to see if he could open the door to Jack’s apartment.  
The door was already unlocked. Mark opened the door and flipped up the light switch.  
Nothing.  
Mark took out his phone from his pocket and quickly searched the house.  
The moment Mark opened the bathroom door and saw him, he ran towards the soaked Irishman. The water had almost reached his nose when Mark fished him out.  
Sean was clearly unconscious.  
After trying to jolt him awake for a few moments, Sean slowly started to open his eyes.  
The first thing he saw was the bright light of the phone. Sean, too dazed to understand what was happening, only turned his face away from the light and groaned.  
“F-Fuckin’ hell” he muttered quietly and closed his eyes once more.  
A wave of relief washed over Mark. Sean may not have been perfect, but at least he was okay. However, the wet clothes he still wore were not okay. Tossing all awkwardness aside, Mark helped Sean change out of his wet clothes.  
When Mark took off his friend’s shirt, he noticed that Sean’s chest was marked with light scars and his stomach was slightly bruised. Mark, a bit taken aback from the sight, wondered how he got the scars and bruising. Sean didn’t seem like the type to self-harm. He was always so cheerful and optimistic (or at least Mark thought so). Mark also didn’t think Sean was targeted by someone and beat up. Everybody liked good ol’ Jackaboy. It was impossible for people not to like him. With so many questions swimming around in his head, Mark didn’t feel like asking him anymore. Rather, it didn’t feel like the right time to ask. Being invasive while Sean was still out of it wouldn’t be considerate. This conversation would have to be saved for later.  
Using the flashlight app on his phone, Mark found a couple of clean towels in the sink’s cabinet. He bundled the towels around Sean and helped him dry off.  
Although they did help dry Sean off, a couple of damp towels wasn’t going to help him get warm. His body still shivered in the cold. Mark went to the Irishman’s room to look for a pair of clothes to use as pajamas. He found a grey sweater and some black shorts in the clothes drawer.  
Since he wasn’t completely aware, the next task was to help Sean get dressed. Mark started with the shirt, helped him with the shorts, and ended with a pair of socks.  
Finally, Mark carried his friend to bed and tucked him in.  
On his way out, he could have sworn he heard a soft thank you.  
With Sean in better condition, Mark felt content that he was able to help out. But, he still wanted to do one last thing before he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to you all! I can't believe I barely made my deadline this time! Maybe 2017 is when I'll post my chapters on time. Anyway, this is my longest chapter so far and I will be aiming to get at least 800 words for each chapter. Once again, thank you for the lovely kudos and comments. <3  
> P.S. Sorry that I've been updating this story so much lately. I tried fixing the "double notes" glitches. Hopefully, I won't have to resort to re uploading everything.  
> *Edit*: Feel free to tell me if I fucked up by missing a detail or forgot something in the story. I'm usually up late at night when I right this. Thank you Katmiko325


	5. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room looked back to normal as if nothing happened.

Jack woke up the next morning, engulfed by the feeling of comfort and warmth. His heavy eyelids, too lazy to fully open, only went up about halfway. With this, he saw that the windows were now ushering in shimmering rays of sunlight, much better than the darkness he saw before. His sheets didn’t have any wide gashes ripped across them. The pillows weren’t bursting out with stuffing. The room looked back to normal as if nothing happened.  
_Last night felt so real,_ he thought. Jack lifted up his sweater, looking at the cuts scattered across his chest. Not too long ago, it felt like they were deep, pulsing wounds that gushed with blood. Now, they formed light, little scabs and scars.  
The Irishman slowly rose to his feet. His body didn’t furiously ache like it did before.  
As a final confirmation, he walked to the door and turned on the light switch. The lights turned on, making the room a little brighter than before. Jack sighed, running his fingers through his hair. All of the panic and fear that pierced him so strongly was for nothing.  
Then, the smell of pancakes and bacon filled the air.  
_Wait, who’s cooking?_  
Jack opened the door and slowly made his way to the kitchen only to find a friend helping himself to whatever he could find.  
“Mark,” he yawned. “The fuck are you doing?”  
Mark swallowed the mini-pancake that he stuffed in his mouth and smiled at his friend. “Oh, two things: I fixed the lights before I passed out on the floor. (You’re welcome, by the way). Then, I made some Breakfast with some of the stuff in the kitchen. I couldn’t find your Lucky Charms or your magical pot ‘o gold, so I had to make do.”  
Jack laughed at the childish remark, and pulled himself a chair. As he sat down, the American passed him a plate of mini-pancakes drizzled in maple syrup, lightly peppered scrambled eggs, three strips of hot, crispy bacon, and some buttered toast.  
Although he wasn’t hungry when he smelled the food from his room, Jack instantly felt his mouth watering at the sight of the plate in front of him. Mark handed him a fork.  
“Sean,” Mark started. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”  
Jack bit into the piece of toast. “Thanks, I’m glad I’m okay too.”  
A few moments into their meal together, Jack noticed that Mark stopped eating. He looked deep in thought, like something heavy had been on his mind.  
Jack put down his fork. “Something wrong?” he asked.  
Mark quickly shook his head. “No, no, I’m fine… I’m not fine…”  
“What’s wrong?” Jack reiterated.  
Mark looked at Jack in the eyes, seeming hesitant to ask his question.  
“I know this isn’t something you’re supposed to ask at a time like this, but I really need to know…Were you cutting yourself?”  
Jack was puzzled. A lot of thoughts have come and gone through his mind, but self-harm was not one of them.  
“No,” he confidently answered. Mark looked relieved to hear that, but he couldn’t be sure of what happened just yet.  
“Why’d ya ask?” Jack asked in return.  
“Well, when I found you, you were about to drown in the bathtub. I immediately took you out and checked to see if you were okay. After that, I helped you get changed and everything. When I took off your shirt and saw these cuts across your chest. I didn’t know if somebody else did them or…”  
Mark’s voice trailed off into silence, but Jack clearly understood what he meant.  
“The scars were just there when I woke up.”  
“Wait,” Mark said. “What do you mean ‘they were just there’?”  
Jack sighed, knowing it was time to tell his side of the story now. The volume of his voice dropped to almost a whisper, and so did his mood.  
“When I got home, I sorta blacked out on the couch. Then, I woke up on the bedroom floor in an awkward as hell position. I don’t know if I was hallucinating or something, but I saw all of this creepy stuff and I couldn’t tell that it wasn’t real. My bedroom was torn to pieces like something went absolutely fuckin’ ballistic in there. There was blood all over the walls. There was even a dead bird in the sink with its-”  
Jack stopped, shuddering from thinking about it. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his stomach down. The last thing he needed to do is eject part of the meal he just ate.  
“Let’s just say the poor bird went through some pretty rough shit. I thought some psycho was trying to mess with my head. Plus, everything felt way more intense last night. I felt so weak and I was in so much fucking pain. Those cuts felt so deep, I thought I was about to bleed to death on the damn floor. And it was so hot in here. I felt like my skin was gonna melt off. I didn’t know what to do anymore.”  
Jack didn’t even know Mark moved until he felt him pull him in for a big hug. All of a sudden, a tear fell down his face. Next, everything he felt yesterday evening hit him all at once. Just as if it couldn't get any worse, everything he felt now made him bubble over with emotions.  
At first, Sean laughed at himself a little. Other than the scars on his chest and almost drowning, nothing really happened to him. It was all just an illusion or something. A couple more tears trickled down his face.  
Then, he started sobbing. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved, worried or confused. In the end, it felt like the three were clashing inside him. Crying was the only way he knew he could let it all out before he would burst from it all.  
It was so strange because he was never the type to cry. Even when he broke an arm as a child, Sean was able to be strong and stay composed.  
But, he couldn’t handle “nothing”.  
All the while, Mark supportively remained quiet. Sean needed a few minutes to sort this out before Mark could interfere.  
But it was okay. For now, they were both okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three cheers for supportive Mark! Sorry for all the crying and Jackaboy feels. Jack's going to have a major protagonist boost after this. Now, I'm going to go attempt to write a two page history assignment I should have done two days ago. Have an amazing day guys!
> 
> P.S. Should I try to post twice a week from now on?


	6. Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wonders if he's crazy.

After what felt like hours, Sean was kind of able to calm down. Rather, his mind was numb from all the emotionally-draining crying. Now, putting forth any effort to feel anything, think, and even smile was hard to him to do. It was as if all of the feelings of fear, worry, and relief left Sean with a lingering emptiness. The fact that he felt like he couldn’t shake it off so easily wasn’t helping things either. He just wanted to lay on the couch and curl up into a fetal position until he faded into nothingness.  
And he hated it.   
Mark tried to do everything he could for Sean. All of his focus was put onto the one who (he thought) needed his support at least until proven to be okay. For now, being there for Sean and helping him feel safe was his best option. First, he washed all the dishes from Breakfast and sat back down at the table.  
“Thanks, Mark. You know you don’t have to do all of this for me, right? I could have just done it all later...”  
“I know,” the red haired man replied. “I just wanted to clean up my mess since I was the one cooking. Besides, do you think you’re okay with talking more about what happened? I really want to help figure out what’s wrong.”  
“I already told you everything I know,” Sean stressed. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”  
“Has anything like this happened before?” Mark questioned.  
Sean paused to think for a moment. “…I’ve been having these nightmares for a while, or the same nightmare over and over with old and new things sprinkled in. Everything looks all dark and creepy with these disturbing messages. I keep seeing stuff etched in blood like “Let me out” or “he's coming”. At the cafe, I saw my reflection change in the bathroom mirror. The eyes turned black and green and the smile was just devilish. It wasn’t me anymore, it just looked like me.”  
“Well, do you have any idea what could cause you to see all that stuff earlier?” Mark asked further.  
“I don’t know. It’s not like I ate something funny…You probably think I’m a nutcase by now.” Sean sighed. He held his face in his hands, not wanting to say any more.  
Mark could tell he was actually making Sean feel worse instead of finding out what was wrong. It was like all of his efforts were in vain and it was killing him on the inside.  
“Jack- er, Sean,” he began. “You aren’t that crazy. There must be a reason that you’re seeing all of this. We just gotta keep trying to find it.”  
The American glanced at the time on the hanging wall clock. Breakfast hadn’t been long ago, yet he spent too much time away from home. He had to go take Chica on her morning walk (or face the consequences on his bed), prepare the guest rooms, and clean his own room. Even with all the responsibilities he needed to take care of, Mark still didn’t want to leave Sean alone.  
“Sean, “he started to ask. “Do you think you’ll be fine by yourself? You can come over to my place if you want.” The Irishman knew Mark was trying to be supportive, but his words almost confirmed that he thought Sean couldn’t take care of himself.  
That’s what happens when your best friend thinks you’ve gone batshit crazy.   
Sean faked a soft smile, not wanting him to worry. “I’ll be fine, Mark. See you later.”  
Mark nodded and hesitantly left.  
Surprisingly, Sean thought he was actually starting to feel something new: loneliness.   
Being alone was never a problem for him. After all, Sean _did_ live alone. It provided him with an escape and gave him a break from dealing with all the negativity waiting outside in the real world. If he felt bored, all he needed to do was pull up a video game, watch a movie, or drive a few minutes away to hang out with one of his friends. This time, he couldn’t be bothered with the thought of leaving. If he had any problems outside, it would just mean more witnesses. Worse, he probably shouldn’t drive until his mind was settled.   
However, he encountered a small problem. The silence that swept over the room was deafening. The constant tick of his wall clock was hushed. None of the neighbors made any noticeable sounds. Sean just needed something, anything, to just make a sound before he could be driven mad by the approaching thoughts of self-doubt.  
Getting up, Sean relocated and plopped himself down right on the center of the couch. He reached for the television remote and turned it on. The Irishman flipped through several channels, not finding a single bit of interest in any of the shows whatsoever.   
A few moments later, he found a cute kids show. The little square main character was absentmindedly causing mischief at a restaurant with his pink star friend. Their neighbor, who happened to be a very unamused squid, hurled insults which fell on deaf ears. It may not have been extraordinarily funny, but it brought a smile to his face.   
Jack sighed, feeling a little bit better. Looking at this show was a pleasant distraction. If laughter was the best medicine, he could sure use an overdose. And boy, did some of the other shows sure deliver.   
Then, he heard something soft and low.  
At first, Jack just assumed it was just the light buzzing coming from the TV screen. The sound ringing in his ears got louder and louder until he found out that it was actually laughter.  
And it wasn’t coming from the TV.   
The hairs on his neck stood up and goosebumps littered his pale skin. Jack turned the volume up and looked around the room for a bit, trying hard to dismiss the sound as paranoia.   
As if things couldn’t get any worse, he began feeling like he was being watched. It wasn’t possible for someone else to be there if Mark just left.   
Finally, in a last-ditch effort to get over this sickening feeling, he turned around.   
Nothing.  
The laughter stopped and a voice started to whisper in his ear.  
“Let’s play hide and seek. Don’t you want to find me?”  
Suddenly, an incredible urge swept through his body to go to the bathroom. Jack refused to move anywhere.   
Next, the urge decided to take him with force.  
Jack’s body rose to his feet, without his permission.  
He began “walking” toward the bathroom. The laughter was steadily getting more distorted by the second, as if its source had been even crazier than he was.  
His pace sped up a bit into more organized steps. Jack was panicking. There wasn’t much distance left between him and the door. Once he arrived at the door, his right hand reached for the knob.  
“O-Oh no you fuckin’ don’t-, “he interjected.  
With all of the strength he had left, he threw himself into the doorway of his bedroom and onto the floor.  
Most of the control over his body had faded and Jack scrambled back up to his feet, slamming the door.  
Jack was losing his sanity, the sanctity of his mind, and his body – truly, he was losing himself. Pacing the room, he struggled to gain complete control against whatever was trying to control him.   
“This isn’t real,” he tried to convince himself. “This can't be happening”. The room only held a brief silence.   
“Do you think you can hide from me?” the voice asked. Laughter quickly filled the room, ringing loudly in Jack’s ears. The Irishman stopped pacing and sat at his desk, holding his head to block out the sound.   
“Shut up, just leave me be!” he pleaded. It was getting harder to pass this off as “not real”. Instantly, he felt a slow burning sensation. Jack scratched at his skin, struggling to scrape it off.  
The voice softly hissed, “If I wasn’t real, you wouldn’t be able to feel that.”  
Jack slammed his fist on the desk.   
“STOP THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW!” he demanded. His cracking voice hid a mix of fear and anger.   
A memory flashed through his mind. There was something else he remembered seeing. Out of all the distorted mess plaguing him, one more word came to mind. Without meaning to say it aloud, Sean said exactly what he was thinking.  
“Anti”  
Anti chuckled, relishing in on his little victory.   
“You finally said my name,” he whispered in the other’s ear. A chill ran down Jack’s spine. _How did I know his name?_ He was caught off guard by Anti’s tricks once again, feeling his skin burn fiercely. A green acidic liquid visibly appeared on his skin, coating the areas that burned.   
“Jack, do you know something _neat_ about Antiseptic?” Jack turned around, seeing a large cloud of mist gathered behind him.   
A figure materialized in the mist, hiding a malicious smirk. “It burns.”  
Jack stared at the mysterious being in front of him. His features oddly mirrored Jack’s. Both of them had bright green hair that flowed down the front. Their facial features and body type were almost molded the exact same. _Almost_ the exact same.   
Only a couple of distinguishing features stood between them. Anti had green irises and the rest of his eye was filled with a dark black. His mouth curved into a mischievous and cruel smile, much different from Jack’s usual playful and kind demeanor. Jack felt his stomach turn from looking at the doppelganger in front of him.   
“What the hell are you?” he asked, although he didn't want to know the answer.  
Anti laughed, amused at his ignorance. Anti moved closer and closer to Jack until he could practically wrap his thin fingers around his throat.   
“Stupid Sean, I am you.” Neither of them had even touched, yet Jack could barely breathe. It was like Anti’s words coiled around his neck, ready to go for the kill. Though, it wouldn’t stop him from yelling.   
“There’s no fuckin’ way you could ever be me! I am me, and that’s it.”   
Jack had trouble believing his own words, and Anti saw right through him.   
“Is that so?” Anti replied and leaned against the desk. “It wouldn’t be the first time you were wrong,” he sneered. “And I think you already know it.”   
The atmosphere around Jack grew cold and felt like his heart would stop at any second.   
If Anti was Jack, as he had said, could he feel the fear growing inside of him as well?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look who's finally being introduced into the story. Now, things are going to get a lot more interesting. I hope you all keep reading and enjoy the story! Thank you for all of the kudos and comments.  
> Side note: Looking back at some earlier chapters, I found so many errors. If the fic updates and it doesn't look like I added anything new, it just means I rewrote something. Sorry for any inconveniences


	7. Something to Gain and Something to Lose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turning around, it looked back at Jack as if it were eyeing down its prey.  
> Jack’s body had been frozen in place.   
> He struggled to free himself from Anti’s control, but barely moved his position at all.

In just a matter of moments, Jack could have sworn his life was crumbling before his eyes. Another “Jack”, or an evil version of him, had appeared in front of him. With only its words, it easily intimidated the original.   
“Tell me,” Jack started. “Why are you doing this? Why do you need me?’  
Anti’s smirk grew wider, as if Jack’s question was amusing. “You really don’t get it, do you?”  
That response sparked a fire within Jack, causing him to push fear aside for a moment. Rising up to his feet, he got all up in Anti’s face. “And exactly what the hell am I supposed to get? I asked YOU why you’re here.”  
Anti stood there, still smirkng. “It’s not that I need you. It’s actually quite the opposite. I need to get rid of you.”  
“What do you mean ‘get rid of me’?” Jack questioned. “Besides, don’t you have your own body? You could just go be your own person and not have to replace me.”  
It stopped dead in its tracks. Jack assumed he had got through to Anti. However, Anti was far from changing plans. In an instant, it grabbed Jack by hair and yanked him close, staring him right in the eyes.  
“S-Shit, get the hell off!” Jack furiously demanded, trying to force its hands off.  
“You feel that don’t you?” it asked. “All the pain going through your incompetent mind…Your human senses are flawed.”   
Anti tugged harder and effortlessly threw Jack down to the ground. “F-Fuckin hell.” Jack winced. The Irishman ran his fingers through his pained scalp. Looking up, he finally saw the frustration burning in Anti’s eyes.   
“That’s all it is,” he raised his voice. “In. Your. Mind.” Anti was disgusted with its shameful condition. It knew that it’d been reduced to little more than a thought. _It was pitifully sad and laughable knowing you barely exist at all._ “This body doesn’t even fucking exist!”   
It attempted to swipe everything off the desk, but its hand only went through the items on the desk. Frustrated and powerless, it busted out laughing for a few seconds and went silent. Turning around, it looked back at Jack as if it were eyeing down its prey.  
Jack’s body had been frozen in place. He struggled to free himself from Anti’s control, but barely moved his position at all.  
Slowly, Anti got down and crept over to Jack, quietly whispering in his ear.  
“The reason why you can feel and hear me is because you’re not the only one in control. I can manipulate your senses into thinking I’m real. Soon,” he laughed. “There won’t even be an inch of ‘you’ left.”  
Jack didn’t like how Anti was underestimated him. Though it was plain to see that Jack was a bit worried, the Irishman could hold himself together in a struggle. He wasn’t going to stand there and take Anti’s crap.   
He’d face it head on.   
Jack punched Anti off and quickly got up.   
Anti held his eye, surprised that Jack regained control of his body so quickly.   
“It’s my body, you can’t just force me out.”  
Anti’s body seemed to waver for a moment. “That’s where you’re wrong.”   
Anti got up and walked in circles around the original. “All I need is to force you out when you’re at your weakest.”  
Manipulation? Check.   
Control? Check.  
Pawns? Check.  
Everything was just a game. As long as he could gain the upper hand on Jack, he couldn’t possibly lose.  
“Oh, really?” Jack asked. “Just what the hell are you?”  
Anti seemed to light up, delighted at his question. “I’m glad you asked, Sean.” He removed his hand from his face and pushed Sean out the way. Anti sat in the chair and crossed his legs. Sean knew he wasn’t actually sitting, just lightly hovering over the chair.  
“You see, “Anti began. “I’m not really a part of you. I’m almost a different version of you. You could say we’re the same person, but from different worlds or dimensions. Where I’m from is closest to what you weaklings would describe as “Hell”. It’s a ‘lovely’ place, isn’t it? Of course, that also makes it much harder for me to have some fun.”  
“Fun?” Jack asked, crossing his arms.   
“Yes, you see, I’m not a goody-two shoes like you and I don’t like being caged by discipline or limits. I should be free to do whatever I want to whoever I please, and have no one able to stop me. So, I’d like a little switch between us. I stay here and you take my place, simple as that.”  
Jack already knew the risks that came with its vague request.  
“I’m guessing you’re planning on keeping my body for a while. Or, are you planning on not switching back?”  
Anti nodded. “Finally using that head of yours, aren’t you?”  
Jack clenched his fist in frustration. He’d hit him if it weren’t for it all being in his head.  
“Jack, just listen to me and everything will be fine. After all, you don’t want anything to happen to your friends, right? All I’d have to do is to take control of you when you aren’t aware, or trick you into doing it for me. Just messing with your mind is effective already.”  
Anti’s words tore through Jack, cutting him like a knife. All that time he spent cowering in fear was all because of that thing. Some of what he felt _back then_ ran through his mind. Anti was surely going to be hard to deal with.  
Yet, Jack knew stopping him is still possible.  
“I’m not going to let you do whatever you want, especially with my body. If you want it so much, you’re gonna have to fucking fight me for it.”   
“Now, now, Jack,” Anti said. “You don’t want to make this more difficult than it has to be. Just stay still.”  
Anti started to walk towards Jack, but the original resisted. Every time Anti took a step forward, Jack would take a step back. After a few more steps, its form was slowly becoming more and more distorted and “glitchy”.  
“Dammit!” the figure screeched.   
Both of its irises filled with black while inky, black fluid flowed from the eyes.   
“Y-YoU see WhAt haPpens wHen yOu doN’t oBey?”   
The creature, not able to hold its form together for any longer, retreated inside Jack.  
The room was silent for a few moments, leaving Jack to process what all just happened.  
As of now, there were two beings in his body, and they both knew that there could only be one in the end.  
In addition to that, if Jack lost, he’d be losing a lot more than his friends and family.  
A number of small beeps from his cellphone brought the Irishman back to Earth. Pulling out his phone, Jack could now see another issue on the rise.  
M: Hey, Jack, do you think you can come over tonight?  
M: Bob, Wade, and Felix should be coming, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. These last few weeks have been hard on me. Your support is greatly appreciated and I hope you still enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it for you. Feel free to post your ideas of what may happen in the story. I'd love to hear what you think.   
> P.S. : I will be referring to Anti as an "it" since it is not a person yet.


	8. Going Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He wanted to go home. It wouldn’t make sense to separate himself from the family he needed the most.

The ticking of the wall clock slowly chipped away at the silence of the room.

It’s been two hours since Mark texted him.

It’s been two hours since Anti said anything.

The Irishman sat against the wall in a fetal position, afraid to make the wrong move, let alone move at all. He wanted to stay home and avoid his loved ones getting anywhere near Anti. However, his heart longed to go see them one last time.

The cell phone in his pocket sprang to life, singing a cheerful tune. Jack took it out and answered the call.

A chipper voice reminding him of better days was on the other side of the line. 

“Jack? You haven’t called me in a while. Your father and I were worried sick about you. Are you alright?” 

Although he tried to fake being fine, Sean’s voice was still soft and somber. “I’m fine, Ma. There’s no reason to worry.”

“It doesn’t sound like it,” she said, wondering if she was even speaking to the same loud, cheery person she dropped off at the airport. “What’s wrong with my baby boy?”

He couldn’t possibly tell her that an evil being is inhabiting his body, so he told a half-truth. 

“I just… Being here is a lot different and somewhat stressful, yet still exhilarating. I think you’d kinda visiting here. There’s lots of fun things to do. However, I miss having my family with me. “

She laughed at his response, causing him to chuckle a little as well. He could remember her positivity always being contagious. It’s probably where he got it from.  


“Sean,” she started. “Home doesn’t have to be where you came from. It’s where your loved ones are. Even though your father and I love you very much, we wanted you to go make your own home. You’ve made plenty of friends at school, right? Aren't they your family, too? They may not be blood like you and I, but they are surely something. Oh, and what about that boy Mark you were tellin’ me about? Are you forgetting him too?” 

A smile crept onto his face. 

“Yeah, I guess I do have a home here.”

“And if you ever get homesick again, just- how do kids say it these days- hit me up later, Okay? “

Jack laughed for a bit. “Alright, but never say that again.”

“Hehehe, if you insist. I’ve gotta go, sweetheart. Love you!”

“I love you too, Ma. Bye.”

After she hung up, he finally came to a decision. He wanted to go _home_. It wouldn’t make sense to separate himself from the family he needed the most. 

**But what if you hurt them? Would you ever be able to forgive yourself?**

_Anti,_ Jack thought. _Do me a favor and fuck off for a few minutes. I’m going out with my friends for a bit._

**I knew you were a fool, but I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to let me get anywhere near them.**

_That’s why I won’t, now fuck off._

After spending half an hour to properly get himself cleaned and freshened up, he packed a couple of his favorite games in a small backpack. With his key in hand, out the door he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the support you all have given me. I've been doing my best to free up my schedule so I can post chapters more often. Wish me luck! This is a short chapter, so I'll try my best to extend the next chapter. Feel free to comment any ideas or suggestions of what will happen to the group in the next chapter.


	9. Waiting For One More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, he had three guest comfortably sitting in the living room, thoroughly enjoying the snacks set out for them and talking amongst themselves.  
> However, it wasn't too late to wait for one more.

Mark was just about done prepping his house for everyone's arrival. 

The consoles were neatly displayed without a single tangle in their respective cords. An array of games the group could play was laid out in front of them. 

The kitchen was covered with the lingering scent of lemony-freshness. Several containers of snacks, like chips, candy, cookies, sat on the living room table waiting to be opened. Meanwhile, their soon-to-be-devoured dinner trays toward the center of the table. 

Every room was cleaned spotless (or nearly spotless). Even Mark's room had an astounding improvement compared to what it used to look like. Since he had enough time, Mark also fixed up his guest room; Now, the room looked as if it was a bedroom suite at a nice hotel.

Chica was lounging on the living room floor, enjoying what was left of the peaceful quiet as she rested. Mark crouched down in front of Chica and fluffed her golden fur for good luck. 

Within a few moments of petting, the doorbell rang and a shot of anxiety pierced Mark. He hoped everyone would be at least satisfied by his effort and that they would all have a good time. The host got up, took a deep breath, and answered the door. 

Mark found two familiar faces standing outside his door. The taller young man gave him a warm hug and a pat on the back. 

"Hey Mark, how's school?" Bob asked.

"Alright, but I bet it's nothing compared to going to law school." Mark replied. 

"Hey, I’m sure both of you have some hard classes. Save the academic talk for later. Let’s just relax and have a good time for now." Wade suggested.

Mark gave Wade his own personal hug and ushered them both inside, closing the door behind him. Bob reserved the couch chair for himself while Wade sat on the longer couch.  
Mark pulled himself a chair instead. 

Chica, wanting to be social, went to greet her house guests. 

"Hey, Chica. I’m surprised you still put up with Mark sometimes." Wade said as he gently rubbed her back. 

Bob took out several of the games he brought and laid them by his side. "Be careful Mark, Chica might kick your butt at these games too and she doesn't even have fingers. "  
Mark flatly laughed, not very amused. 

The doorbell rang again, and again, and again, and again. 

Mark quickly went to answer the door. 

When he opened the door, he saw Felix impatiently waiting. The young man was used to the cold, but cold wind was his weakness.

“Well, don’t just stand in the doorway. It’s fucking cold, let me in.”

Mark stepped back, allowed Felix to walk past him, and locked the door behind him. 

Felix looked around the apartment. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw that not many other people were there. “I brought the stuff man.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “What’s the stuff?”

Felix opened his jacket and pulled out a small tine of homemade Nutella-snickerdoodle swirl cookies with almonds in the center. Judging from the cute pink bow with curled ends enclosing the package, Mark guessed that Felix’s girlfriend, Marzia, made these for everyone to enjoy.

Mark chuckled a little bit. “Are these for everyone or mostly you?”

Felix looked hurt. “What? You think I’d hog all of these delicious cookies to myself?” Mark raised an eyebrow, causing Felix to chuckle a little bit. “Who am I kidding? Damn right I’m eating most of these cookies. I don’t know what she put in them this time, but they’re so good.”

Mark, while shaking his head bit at Felix, took the tin and set it on the living room table.

"Seriously though, " Felix said. "I'm glad to see you, man."

"I'm glad to have you here, Felix. Make yourself comfortable." Mark stood back and gestured Felix to walk forward.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Felix walked to the living room and sat beside Wade, laying back on the comfortable pillows.

Now, he had three guest comfortably sitting in the living room, thoroughly enjoying the snacks set out for them and talking amongst themselves. 

_However, it wasn't too late to wait for one more._

"Hey, " Mark announced. "You can eat some of the snacks, but don't ruin your appetite. I made actual food and I'm sure as hell not gonna eat it all by myself."  
Bob and Wade nodded and ate a couple more snacks before stopping. 

"So, what are we gonna play first?" Felix asked. 

Mark wanted to wait for Jack, but he supposed a couple of games would be okay for now. “Are you all willing to take turns or are you fighting against each other in pairs?” 

“Let’s stick to multiplayer. “Bob said. “Then everyone will be able to play.” 

~

About an hour later of playing, the guys were well fed and now enjoying a good game of Gangbeasts. Wade was the red chicken, Felix was the green wrestler, and Bob was a casually dressed yellow businessman. 

Mark didn’t feel like playing at the time. He lost hope in his last guest’s arrival, but understood that Sean may want some time just to rest. Above all else, he at least hoped that Sean was safe.

Chica, sensing his discomfort, laid her head on his lap in sympathy and laid her paw on his hand. Mark appreciated the gesture and held her hand while using the other hand to scratch behind her ear. Her tail wagged furiously, signaling him of her comfort.  
“Everything’s gonna be okay, Chunka-Bunka.” Mark fluffed her fur and watched the colored characters fight on screen. 

So far, Wade was winning. Bob was in second place. Felix, who was much too busy laughing to be angered by this bullshit, was in last place.

“Alright,” Mark called out. “Do you want to switch to another game?” 

The group looked at the different videogame options, some provided by Mark and others brought by each other.  
“Hmmm…” Bob thought aloud as he lifted up a cute looking case. “Who brought this?” The case had large pink lettering forming the title Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. 

Felix defensively snatched the case out of his hands. “What? I-I just thought it was cute and my girlfriend thought you guys might like to play it.”

“Calm down, no need to defend yourself. I was just asking a question. Since you brought it, mind telling me what’s it about?” 

“Oh,” Felix sighed. “It’s about these “Lovers” who try to keep Anti-Love from ripping their world apart by repairing their giant Heart ship-thing and rescuing cosmic bunnies who shoot rainbows at stuff.” Saying all of that out loud was more than enough to get Bob laughing. 

“How many people can play?” Wade asked. 

“Up to four people can play at a time,” Bob read from the case.

They all looked at Mark expectantly, wanting him to play. Mark humbly had to refuse. “I only have three controllers right now, but you guys can keep playing if you’d like. I’ll just sit here with Chica.” 

Wade felt bad that Mark hadn’t got to play through any of the two games they’ve already done. “Mark, do you want me to sit out for a round?”

“I’m fine, Wade. I’ll just sit and- “

The doorbell rang.

Mark knew just who was at the door. He got up and walked to the door, followed by Chica. The red haired man opened the door and pulled his last visitor in.  
The host was beaming as he led Jack inside. Jack seemed to be in so much better condition than what Mark last witnessed. He looked less like a kicked puppy and more like his usual self. It gave Mark hope that whatever he was going through earlier might’ve passed by now. However, Jack seemed exhausted and his skin was cold to the touch.

“Dude, you’re freezing cold. How long have you been outside?” 

Jack looked down, already sensing a lecture coming on. “...It’s just a bit nippy. It took me a little while to walk here, but at least it wasn’t that cold. “  
That was utter bullshit, and Mark knew it. Looking behind Jack, he saw the light whispering wind blowing leaves past his apartment.  
He could have scolded Jack for walking without even considering that Mark could have picked him up, but he just sighed. 

“Well, I’m just glad you’re okay. Now go curl up by the couch before you freeze to death.”

Jack nodded and sat down on the floor next to Chica. Jack smiled and scratched behind the golden pup’s ears. 

A cellphone rang, but this time it didn’t belong to Mark.  
“Excuse Me,” Bob politely said and went into the hallway to talk to whoever was calling him. 

Mark got to work washing some of the dishes from dinner preparation. 

In the living room, Jack and Felix were watching Youtube videos on the TV. The Youtuber was playing a game that somewhat looked like a haunted Chuck. E. Cheese’s. Mark thought about how cool it would be to have a job as an entertainer, but he thought he wouldn’t make it very far.

A bit more to the left, he could see Jack fading in and out of consciousness, struggling to stay awake. Mark thought his sleepy behavior was because of his walk. 

Unbeknownst to Mark, Jack was relatively tired and a bit shaky from hallucinations. Every Anti he saw wavered in his eyes, giving him more stress.

Bob came back momentarily. “Sorry, I was just talking to my girlfriend about something.” 

Wade smiled. “Oh, Mandy? You’ve been dating for a couple of years, right? Are you planning on purposing to her?”

 

Bob sighed. “I want to, but I don’t know when I should do it. I want the moment to be really special for both of us.”

Mark patted his back. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll love your effort more than how much you spent to make it special.”  
Felix silently observed the trio behind him. He took a bite of another cookie, admiring the bond between them. He quietly and sincerely wished Bob the best of luck. He glanced over at Jack and scooted to where he was, stirring up a conversation. 

Bob checked the time, not surprised at how late it was. The hands of his watch just pointed to 10:34. “Thanks for everything guys, but me and Wade have to head back to the hotel before it gets too late. It was nice seeing you, Mark.”  
Bob gave Mark a goodbye hug and gave Chica a goodbye pat. 

Next Wade got his turn to voice his goodbyes. “See you around, Mark.” Wade gave Mark a goodbye hug and left with Bob.

Felix glanced at the time and decided to head home too. “Alright guys, it’s time for me to head home too. If I’m not home by eleven, Marzia will give me an earful for not warning her.” In a few moments, Felix was packed up and already on his way to his car. The nice Swede even left a few cookies for Mark and Jack to enjoy.

The Irishman was starting to pull himself onto his feet and shuffle to the door. Before Jack could go, Mark grabbed his arm. “Wait, I’m not letting you walk back home. It’s really late and I don’t need you getting sick.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m fine, Mark. I don’t live that far away. “ 

Mark quickly tried to formulate a plan to get Jack to stay. “Well, why not stay here for the night? I can drop you off in the morning if you’d like. Plus, you’re still sore. You shouldn’t exert too much pressure on yourself out in the cold. “ 

After a bit of back and forth, Jack finally agreed. “Fine, I’ll stay for the night. Just let me take a shower or something, I’m still freezing a bit." He walked over to the bathroom and got ready to shower.

Mark went upstairs to find something suitable for the Irishman. Mark pulled out a pair of black shorts and a T-shirt for Jack. He got himself a white T-shirt and some sweats. Then, he brought both pairs of clothes downstairs.

By the time Mark returned, Jack was already in the middle of taking a nice, hot shower. The steam and warm water cleared all the negative thoughts Anti put in his mind and renewed Jack’s soul. 

Mark knocked on the door. “Jack, I left some clothes outside the door for you.” 

“Thanks,” Jack called out. 

He spent a few more moments in the shower, letting the water run through his hair. When he got out, he dried himself off and wrapped the same towel he used to dry off around his waist. He peeked out the door and saw a clean pair of clothes waiting for him in a little square clothes basket. Jack picked up the clothes and closed the door, changing into the clothes with complete privacy. 

He now had a long black shirt and dark blue shorts. Since they originally belonged to Mark, Jack quickly noticed that they were a bit big on him. The sleeves seemed to swallow his hands sometimes, but at least the shorts weren’t falling off of his thin figure. 

The tired guest left the bathroom and went to his room. He collapsed onto the bed and scrambled underneath the covers.  
He was glad that he was able to keep Anti away, but it was so tiring to stay awake. If he could just manage to get a few minutes of sleep, he’d be a bursting ball of energy in no time. But for now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decision time! Would you all be alright with:  
> a) Me uploading one big chapter (2000+ words) every two weeks  
> b) small chapters (500-1000 words) every day  
> c) One chapter a week (1000+ words)


	10. Interference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark sees Jack. Too bad, he isn't talking to him right now.

When Jack woke up, something felt off. Everything he experienced felt like it wasn't really him doing it. He saw all of his body movements in first person, but it was like he wasn’t in control of himself. His body just continued on without him as if Jack was viewing at himself through a monitor as the unit functioned on autopilot.  
A painful stab of hunger went through his body. It felt like he hadn’t eaten anything in a while. His body rose and started walking to the kitchen. It looked for something that was premade and quick to eat. In the top cupboards, he found a small variety of cereal. The box with honey bunches of oats and strawberries smelled _especially_ delicious.  
It tore through the box and the bag holding the cereal, stuffing big handfuls into its mouth. The sugary sweetness of the fruit enticed it more, making it eat even faster.  
_This wasn’t right,_ he thought.  
_This is Mark’s home. I shouldn’t be making such a big mess._  
Jack tried to stop himself from making a larger mess than he already has, but he couldn’t even move a single limb. With every attempt at moving, he felt like he was being bound by chains. There was no way for him to regain control. He was at the mercy of whoever saw fit to move for him, and the very thought of not being in control, not even being able to lift a single finger, terrified him.  
On the other hand, the body continued to fulfill its not-quite-satisfied hunger. It stumbled to the refrigerator and open the metal doors. There was juice, eggs, leftovers, lettuce, and many other plain things one would find in a normal household’s refrigerator.  
It only wanted the juice.  
Not even bothering to get a cup, it uncapped the fruit juice and gulped down a cup or two.  
It heard one of the nearby room doors creak open.  
Another person was coming. It could sense him drawing near.  
This person, as tired and gentle as they seemed, was deemed a major threat to the one in control. However, the body just continued to eat.  
Jack could hear Mark’s voice lightly humming a tune as he got closer to the kitchen. The song stopped as soon as Mark saw the other helping himself to as much as he could. “Jack?” he confusedly asked.  
It stopped eating, putting aside the juice container.  
**“Are you sure you want to be talking to me right now?”** It questioned him.  
Mark wasn’t sure what he meant. “Of course I want to talk to you. Why wouldn’t I?”  
The body chuckled a little, using a higher pitched laugh.  
**"You'd think that when people hear the whisper of death, they'd wisely avoid it,”** it spoke softly. **“When in all actuality, they follow it, as if testing death's patience. "**  
The body slowly turned head to see its visitor.  
A shot of doubt and uneasiness went through Mark, making his stomach flip over and tie itself into knots. Something deep inside him didn’t feel right about the person in front of him.  
They had the same appearance as someone he knew, but something was off.  
“D-Did you read that from somewhere?” Mark asked, finding difficulty articulating his words.  
It didn’t seem amused with Mark’s question.  
**“It’s a shame how warnings can fall short on deaf ears. Well, at least this way will be a bit more _fun_.” **  
It stood up and faced Mark, trying to hold back from hunger. **_Maybe if this food wasn’t satisfying, it could try something else._**  
**“You have two options: You can either turn around and leave me be, or say my name. Be warned, I don’t like wrong answers.”**  
Mark’s fear turned him silent and afraid to respond.  
He already knew Jack’s _real_ name was Sean McLoughlin. It was the name printed in bold white print on his University ID. That would have been Mark’s only answer, but he felt like he was being led to failure. If “Jack” had simply asked Mark for his name, wouldn’t the Irishman expect Mark to say Jack’s birth name? And if so, could that expected answer be, in fact, a false answer to a trick question?  
Mark swallowed deeply, hoping that the person in front of him was one of his best University friends. “I want to say that you name is Sean William McLoughlin, but that’s not the answer you’re looking for, right?”  
It smirked.  
A malicious smirk that entailed pain and suffering.  
**“Well, you aren’t wrong. But that isn’t the answer I was looking for. If it makes you feel better, _he’s_ screaming yours right now.” **  
_He?_  
Jack, fully aware of who Mark was talking to, was screaming and struggling to regain control. Maybe he would give his intruder a headache.  
_F-Fuckin’ let me go, dammit! Mark! MARK, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!_  
Bit by bit, he felt his chains get stronger. It trapped him and did his best to keep him trapped.  
On the outside, the sound was slowly chipping away at it. It held his head a bit, taking a few moments to block out the sound of Jack’s cries.  
Mark didn’t know whether to show concern or stay away from it. It still had the face and physique of someone he knew, yet it said words Sean would never say.  
**“Enough of all this. You’re the only one in my way, Fischbach. If I could just get rid of you, maybe he would learn his place.”**  
It walked towards him.  
Mark stepped back. At this point, he wasn’t sure of a lot of things. There was only one thing he knew for a fact.  
Something’s not right. That's not Jack.  
It lunged at the American, pinning him down to the ground. Mark, surprised at how strong the other was, struggled to break free.  
The urgency of the situation was dire. The one currently in control was too much of a malicious wildcard. There was no way for Sean to tell how far it would go, or when it would stop. Locked inside the recesses of his conscious, Sean cried out for help on his and Mark's behalf. His chains felt heavier and heavier every time he tried to interfere.  
_LEAVE HIM ALONE ANTI. HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING._  
Anti’s hand snaked up to Mark's throat, choking him with a vice-like grip. Mark tried not to panic, but it was troubling that he couldn't breathe. Even worse, he couldn’t bring himself to fight back. He was hesitant to hurt someone important to him.  
As a last effort, Sean screamed as loud as he possibly could. The distress caused a serious migraine that hurt both the original and the counterpart. It was enough to make Anti hold his head in agony.  
Mark, who didn’t hear the screechy discord within Sean’s body, took the opportunity to catch his breath and quickly back away from it.  
Sensing his prey leaving, Anti weakly stretched his arm out towards Mark.  
**I-I won't let you get away.**  
Shaking, Sean screamed with every ounce of energy he had left. Anti started to outwardly glitch.  
**_Y-You f-fucking pest...._**  
The body fell over, with no one having the energy to control it.  
Everything was shut down within the body except the use of its involuntary functions. It induced its own deep sleep, giving both beings within the consciousness enough time to "talk"  
Jack was finally able to look at his own "body" for now. The chains he felt had fallen off now that no one was in control. The pain of the migraine roughly pounded in his head. It would have been way better to be hoarse than to have a headache. At least he could still scream this way.  
Anti was a good distance away from him, cursing his weakness for losing control of the body. Its anger transformed into a seething rage, making dark shadows form around it.  
**_You... You interfered with my work._**  
Anti wasn’t fond of talking anymore. It wanted to play another game. One he wouldn’t lose.  
The playing field left only one at a great disadvantage.  
With physical barriers out of the way, Anti could use its powers.  
Jack quickly understood what it was going to do.  
_W-Wait, let’s just talk this out._  
He began backing away slowly.  
**_No time for talk. There’s not that much time left._**  
_Wait, what do you mean “there’s not that much time left”?_  
The shadows gathered around Anti, circling around it. Its eyes turned completely dark. Then, it vanished into thin air.  
**_Being trapped in the mind is child’s play for some; It’s torture for others._**  
Shadows wrapped around Jack from behind, tying together his limbs to restrict the use of his arms and legs. The shadows firmly held him upright, standing him up straight.  
Anti appeared once more, right behind him. It covered Jack’s eyes and left a long scratch down his back. The fabric soon gave way.  
Sean tried to hold back tears as it purposefully tore through skin and drew blood.  
**_Let’s begin, shall we?_**  
With Jack in the palm of its hand, there was no limit to how much fun it could have. As long as he didn’t kill Jack yet, everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who responded to my last chapter notes. I'll try my best to upload +1000 words once a week. Have a nice day, and thank you for reading!


	11. Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now the body has temporarily shut down, Anti has some "fun" with Jack.

When its hand was removed from his eyes, all Jack saw was pure blackness. The shadows blocked any light from getting to his eyes, basically blindfolding him. The only way now for him to guess Anti’s whereabouts was to listen for its voice and movement.

 _ **You know, cannibalism is a common thing where I come from. Hunger and desire keeps everyone on their toes, driving them to devour more. When it wasn't enough, we'd turn on each other. The weak would not survive in conditions like that, leaving the strong to live and do as they wish.**_

Jack could hear its voice circling him as Anti moved. It was worrisome enough that he couldn’t see it, but silence would bring about even more fear.

_**Almost all of my family, blood or not, are binge eaters. They didn't waste any time in satisfying their hunger. At random intervals throughout the day, I could hear them tearing into an unfortunate victim’s flesh. I suppose that happens when you risk going near a pack of ravenous creatures. I chose to be different. Instead of consuming anything I could get into my hands in the exact moment I got it, I took my time in choosing what to eat. Observation let me see the eating and sanitary habits of potential meals. Based on what I saw, I could guess how tasty, or absolutely revolting, something could be. Next, I hunt it down and have fun “playing” with my meal. Well, playing really isn't the proper word for it. Torture suits what I do just fine. Torturing my food while it's alive is a nice way to work up an appetite... After I get bored teasing it, I kill it. Then, I could have my favorite part: the blood.** _

Anti lightly chuckled to himself and went quiet for a moment, still moving. Jack could hear a low rumble coming from something nearby. Anti stopped behind Jack and wrapped his arms around him, whispering in his ear.

**_I’ve been so hungry lately. I’m starving myself by being so tame right now. The only reason that I can’t eat you in this form is because it wouldn’t satisfy me. I need something physical, not just a misfortunate soul. Maybe I should take your body out to go feed. I’m sure I wouldn’t get caught if I don’t make that much of a mess. What do you think? Have you ever considered eating another person?_ ** ****

Jack shuddered, feeling sick to his stomach. He didn't like discussing things like this at all. Seeing gore left over from a deceased victim would break him. 

**_Aren't you hungry too?_** It asked. 

Anti dissolved the shadows on Jack's face, uncovering his eyes and mouth. Jack still didn't speak, but he expected Anti to already know his answer. 

**_I don't mean food-hungry; I was talking about Fischbach._**

Jack's face immediately flushed red. 

_N-No, it isn't like that-,_ Jack stammered. _He’s just a friend of mine, nothing more._

**_Oh, really? How do you expect me to believe that? I heard you scream for his safety. I felt your heart ache when he was about to die by OUR hands. I can access your memories and thoughts at will, and they all point to him. Maybe if I had some fun with him, you would be a bit more honest with me._ **

Jack quickly got defensive. 

_You don't know what the hell you're talking about, leave him alone._

Anti smirked. 

**_Well, while you're trapped here, I'll be having some of Fischbach. Could you even stand to watch me torture him? I can't wait to see how loud you scream when I tear his flesh apart. Never mind that, I wonder how he would taste..._**

Anti licked his lips, absolutely infuriating Jack. 

**_But, that would be such a waste. Mark is, how should I put this, full of potential. I couldn't just waste a pretty face like that. I'd keep him alive, just barely. I'm sure it'd be fun to "play" with him. I wonder how one would go about torturing him. Red is such a nice color on him, isn't it? I'd make him bleed red forever if I could._**

Jack wished he had enough strength to get his hand form a tight fist. 

_Bastard! Don't you dare touch him!_

Anti chuckled. 

**_It's funny how you think you have any power over me. I think it’s time for you to learn your place._**

Before Jack could say another word, he was gagged once more. Then, Anti took control of the body. It was easy to use trick Jack’s sense of pain. The question now was how would he do it? 

**_Now, I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt...a lot_**

It increased the sensitivity of his nerves. It dug its nails into his skin and dragged them down into long lines. Droplets of blood started to ooze out from his wounds. Next, it simulated the feeling of dislocating his arms and legs. Tears stung Jack’s eyes and ran down his face. It was enough to knock the poor Irishman unconscious, but Anti made sure he stayed awake for the entire thing. 

**_Poor baby..._ ** It mocked, staring down at his counterpart. 

**_I'm not even finished yet._ **

********

~ 

It rose up hours later, around lunchtime, finding itself laying on the couch chair. A blanket was lightly wrapped around its body.

Mark was sitting in the seat across from it, watching TV. 

Jack's soul was still weak from his time with Anti. There was no way he could yell this time. 

It wouldn’t be hard for Anti to trick Mark. However, it would be wise for him to be cautious. It tried appearing innocent, as to not blow its cover.

" **M-Mark? What happened?** "

Mark looked at it, still wary. "You attacked me because I didn't say your name right or something. What the hell was that all about?"

It looked hurt by Mark's words, but was smiling deep inside. 

" **I-I wasn't myself... Something's been taking over me lately. I'm not proud of what I did to you and the mess I caused. I'm sorry**." 

Mark was still suspicious. "What do you mean something took over you?"

It sighed and answered once more. " **You're gonna think I'm crazy.... There's a different version of me, from another world, that's trying to switch places with me and take my body. It said you were in its way, but I don't know why.** "

It covered its face, putting on quite a show.

"How is that even possible?" Mark asked.

" **How the hell would I know? If I did, I would have gotten rid of it by now.** "

"Prove to me that you're Jack." 

" **On my first day of school here in L.A., you were the only one who didn't take interest in me because I was some "foreign Irish guy." You actually saw me for me. Plus, you have two Disney sing along CD's from Matthias in your car, and you threatened to leave me on the side of the road if I turned on the radio while you were listening to them**."

Mark laughed, revisiting that distant memory.

"Okay, Okay. I know it's you." 

It got up and sat next to Mark instead. Chica, who was sitting beside Mark's legs, growled at it and bared her teeth for him to see. 

Mark picked her up and carefully put her in the Kitchen, using the safety gates to keep her locked in. The area was now her personal pen. "Sorry, I don't think she can tell who's who either."

“ **It’s fine** ,” **Sean** said as it glanced at Chica and flashed its black eyes at her. The poor pup whimpered and lowered her head, backing away from the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Satisfied by her reaction, it turned back and stared at the moving pictures.

Mark was still curious about its “other self”.

“So,” he started. “How do I know that you aren’t lying about all this?”

It looked up at Mark and flashed it eyes. “ **Because you’ve been talking to it**.” 

Mark’s eyes widened in shock. Normal people’s eyes aren’t supposed to do that. 

Anti smirked at him, liking his reaction more than Chica’s. “ **Are you surprised?** ”

Mark’s facial expression hardened. “Where’s Jack?”

“ **You really want to end my fun so early? How rude.** ” It laid back on the arm rest and curled up. “ **Maybe, he isn’t feeling well right now. I wouldn’t be if I was him. Hmm…On second thought, I take that back. He’s just too weak to deal with it.** ”

“What have you done to him?” He asked.

 **Sean** tried to pass himself off as ignorant. “ **I don’t know what you’re talking about.** “

He raised his voice. “Don’t play dumb with me!” He grabbed it by the collar and pulled it forward. 

For once, Anti was shocked. It didn’t expect Mark to use force while it was still in control.

Then, its stomach growled. 

**_I’m so hungry..._ **

**Sean** ’s focus dissipated and its eyes glossed over. The only thing it could think about was food. It barely noticed that Mark’s lips were moving, probably saying some useless threat. It _just_ wanted to eat.

“ **Fine, I’ll give him back if you feed me**.” Anti’s pupils slowly turned back to blue.

Mark stared into his eyes, deeply entranced by the colorful pools of baby blue. His eyelids started to slowly fall. 

_Maybe it was time for a nap…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early Chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this. If anyone is confused about the story, I'll try to answer any and all questions to the best of my ability. Have a wonderful day!


	12. Broken, but not alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti's starving and there's no one to stop him from eating anything in the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter. So many words. So many edits, yet so many mistakes. Sorry.

Anti was deliriously hungry. It couldn't think properly about anything except food. It could barely hold back from using its powers on Mark. If it couldn’t find something to eat fast enough, it wouldn't be long for its instincts to kick in and find food instead.

Even if it meant eating someone.

There was light whimpering behind him. It looked over at Chica, who was laying down in her little pen. Her tail wasn't wagging as it usually was, probably because of Anti’s presence. The puppy just wanted her master to get away from the monstrosity next to him. 

It looked back at Chica, licking its lips. The being had never tasted dog before. With Mark passed out, it's not like he could stop Anti from doing anything to her. Besides, how much different would dog flesh taste compared to human flesh?

_**"Hmm.... I wonder if he would mind if I made a small snack out of her..."**_

Anti tried to stand to its feet. Before it could even take a step, a sharp hunger pain cut through it, making Anti hold itself. It could hardly move at this rate. It felt so weak, so pained. 

**_This is how weaklings die. This is not how I'll die._ **

Anti’s eyes turned into an inky black. With that, its shadows gained enough thickness to grab items. In an instant, it dispersed its shadows to find food. They brought food from the kitchen, mainly junk food. Anti, who was currently in the mood for fresh meat, forced itself to eat what it could find. 

There wasn’t a lot of ready-to-eat items in the kitchen, so its options were limited. After stuffing bread, pop tarts, honey buns, Doritos, and two cans of Pizza flavored Pringles in its face, Anti was thoroughly disgusted. It all tasted so unnatural. But, at least it was no longer in pain. Now, it just needed something to cleanse the pallet.

Anti looked down at Mark, who was still passed out. More specifically, it looked at his neck. That deliciously tanned skin was tantalizing.

**_A quick bite wouldn't hurt._ **

Anti got on top of Mark, moving the collar of his shirt aside. Once it got a good view of Mark’s neck, it bit its lip, feeling the intense urge to bite into it immediately. 

**Control… Must have control…**

Since he wasn’t necessarily in his own body, that would have been difficult. Human teeth aren’t that sharp,so a skin breaking bite would be do more harm than good. To make things easier, it surrounded the canines with shadows and condensed them into a sharper form. With its newly sharpened fangs, it dove in and bit Mark’s neck (carefully as to not hit anything important). The shadows cleanly pierced the skin. When little red droplets arose, it sucked out as much as it could. The sweet taste of irony nourishment danced on Anti’s tongue. 

**But this body is weak.**

Humans couldn't drink blood the same way Anti normally could (in his own body). Actually, there was a lot of things that humans couldn’t do. Being human made him so much more weak and vulnerable. It was frustrating for Anti to have lost so much and gain so little from this body. It hoped that it would all be worth it in the end. The unlucky soul, drinking its sweet poison, had to stop before it'd lose the body it craved so much. 

Then, it was dragged back to the realm of consciousness. 

_A-Anti,_ Jack said as he stood up, his legs shaking a bit. The look on his face made it seem like it was painful to stand. Taking a deep breath, he eliminated all traces of weakness from his expression and replaced them a look of determination. _Get the fuck away from him. He's had enough. We've had enough._

Anti couldn’t believe it. Jack was steadily regaining control. Naturally, Anti hated the idea of being closed off from the world again. But now, he was mostly surprised to see that the other could even move. 

**_H-How is your soul strong enough to resist my control? You shouldn’t even have the strength to stand._ **

_I don’t give a damn about what you think I can and can’t do. Get the fuck away from Mark and leave us alone._

The Irishman could work through hell and high water if he put himself up to the task. If he was doing something on the behalf of someone like Mark, he'd work even harder. Against someone like that, Anti was intimidated. 

**_It doesn’t matter. I-I’ll just force you back down._ **

Anti tried to send its shadows after Jack, but they faded before they could even touch him. 

**_W-What?_ **

Its body started to glitch wildly. Anti’s original body was becoming weak and its powers were fading. It needed its owner to return or else it would wither and decay.

And, Anti would be destroyed.

**_S-Shit…I will return.... I will take control of this body...and I WILL destroy everything you hold dear…_ **

With that said in mind (literally), it was gone and Jack was back in control. It would have been a moment of celebration if not for his friend passed out in front of him. It was a terrifying sight for Jack to behold. Mark’s neck was slightly reddened by the bite, and little streaks of red ran down to his chest. It was repulsive to just _think_ about drinking a friend’s blood. Sean could still taste blood, _Mark’s blood,_ lingering on his tongue. What’s worse is that some of Anti’s soul was left behind, making him want more.

Just a bit more, _it won’t hurt him._

He licked his lips and got a little closer to Mark. Once he realized what was happening, he shook his head and focused on only looking at his neck.  


A small branch of veins around Mark’s neck were noticeably darker than before, almost appearing black. Sean’s heart dropped to his stomach. What if it was life-threatening?

  
Sean wanted to scream, but it wouldn’t do anything except attract attention to the victim in front of him. Instead, Sean needed to do something to help Mark. He tore through the house looking for a first aid kit or anything else that would still be useful. The Irishman successfully gathered two washcloths, a small plastic bowl, and a pack of Band-Aids. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Using the darker washcloth, he applied just enough pressure to the bite so he could stop the bleeding and not cause discomfort. Once the bleeding stopped, he filled the plastic bowl with warm water and wet the other washcloth. Next, he lightly washed around the bite marks and wiped off the little blood trails. Finally, he used a large Band-Aid to cover the bite marks. This would greatly decrease the chances of the bite getting infected. Sean was happy to help, yet this time he was plagued with guilt nonetheless.

  


Sean knew he shouldn’t have come over to Mark’s place. It was his fault Mark was hurt and it killed him inside. Mark didn’t deserve to be one of Anti’s meals, and he certainly didn’t deserve the effects of Sean’s reckless thinking. 

He deserved more. If that meant for Sean to distance himself from Mark, so be it.

The green haired man scrambled to put on his old clothes, find his shoes, and finally left the apartment. He walked slowly. Sean thought Mark would avoid him and call him a freak after he woke up. But deep down inside, he knew that wasn’t the case. Mark was a very kind person. He liked to help people and didn’t mind when he hurt himself in the process. He’d just laugh it off and keep going. Once he wakes up, he’ll probably try looking for Sean. 

Worrying about Mark finding him, he ran as fast as he could. Sean didn’t even know where the energy came from. He just felt like he needed to lock himself away immediately. Little by little, he felt his heart ache, his head was spinning, and he could barely think straight. His feelings were all jumbled into one big mess. Why did all of this happen to him? Most of all, was there anything he could even do about it?

Even after everything that happened, he didn’t blame Anti for anything. He blamed himself. Especially after hurting the one that’s helped Sean the most during his stay in this country, he wanted to disappear. It would have been best for him to fade into the back of everyone’s mind, to cease to exist. He decided to stay away from everyone. Mark would probably be better off without him.

As Sean ran, it felt like it was getting hard to breathe. Tears started to blur his vision.

He slowed down to a stop.

_Why did it hurt so much knowing that he couldn’t see Mark anymore? It was for the best, right?_

Or, so he kept telling himself.

_It’ll be better this way…Everyone will be safe…Everyone would be glad I’m gone. I’m fine with being alone…_

Except he wasn’t. 

He started to walk again.

Sean couldn’t leave just leave the country. He still had school to focus on, and he didn’t have the funds to travel all over the world all willy-nilly. What could he do?

Getting tired of reasoning with himself, he walked into a small family owned restaurant. 

He slid into a small booth in the back-right corner of the room, away from the few people sitting near the front. For a man that didn’t drink much, he sure could use something to drain away the sorrow. Burying his face in his arms, he laid his head down on the table. 

A server walked up to him. “Excuse me, your name’s Jack, right?”

Sean looked up and saw a familiar face. 

"Yeah, I definitely can't forget a hair color like that. " The man said with a smile. 

Jack chuckled a little and rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away any stray tears. Making a scene wouldn't help him avoid people at all. "H-Hey."

The server sat down on the other side. "Hey man, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just need to get my mind off of something." Sean said as he faked a smile. It hurt to lie (or not completely tell the truth), but he did it anyway. "Oh, I don't think I got your name earlier."

The server chuckled nervously. "Oh, right. Sorry about that. My name's-"

"Felix!" A voice called from the kitchen.

The waiter winced. "Couldn't have said it better myself." 

A beautiful girl with chocolate brown hair walked up to their table. She tried looking mad, but her face seemed more tired than angry. "I thought you were going to finish those orders for me before going on break."

Felix stood up and hugged her, "I'm sorry, Marzia". The Swede kissed her cheek and hugged her. "You look exhausted. I'll take a shorter break today so you can rest." 

She smiled and hugged him back, appreciating the gesture. "I’ll be alright. Just don't forget next time. I love you"

"Love you too" 

She walked back to the kitchen, and Felix sat back down. 

Jack smiled a bit, a little jealous. He didn't he'd have a chance at anyone at this rate. "You two look good together." Jack commented. 

Felix sighed, "I hope so. I'm trying to get on her parents' good side by helping them with the restaurant."

Warm laughter escaped from Jack's mouth. It felt good to laugh for once. "Good luck, my dad didn't like most of my sisters' boyfriends. I guess it just comes from being a protective parent, you know?"

Felix smiled, "Well, I'm glad you're cheering up. So, what were you trying to get your mind off of? Is it really personal? You don't have to tell me."

Felix was interrupted by the ringing of Jack's phone. 

"I-I'm sorry, one moment, please?" Jack asked. The Irishman pulled out his phone and looked to see who was calling.

It was Mark, along with several other of his missed texts. It was clear to see that Mark was worried about him.

Jack's pleasant mood was washed away. He turned the phone on silent and let it hang up on its own. 

  


Jack wanted to talk to Mark. It just wasn't the time for it. Jack was supposed to protect people by avoiding them. Not even an hour later, he had already failed at the goal he set by talking to Felix.

Felix didn't want to pry, but he was curious. "...Avoiding someone?"

Jack nodded, his tone a bit hushed. "I guess you could say that." 

"Oh..." Felix responded. He looked deep in thought, like he was conflicted about saying something." Jack..." he sighed. "I may not know what's going on, but I do know this: Communication is very important. You should talk to them. I know I always try to make sure Marzia communicates with me. If you don't talk to each other, problems aren’t solved. Nothing gets fixed."

Fixed.

Fixed.

He could feel his folded hands shaking underneath the table.

Why did Jack feel so strongly about that word? 

Maybe because he felt broken.

Or, is it because he wanted somebody to fix him? 

 

Mark’s POV

Thoughts ran to and fro in Mark’s mind, stressing him out even more. He paced through the living room, trying to figure out just what the hell was happening. 

_This was a worst-case scenario in the making. This is the type of shit you see in a horror movie; Jack’s possessed by something and he’s nowhere to be found. Wait, was that thing the one hurting him and giving him nightmares this entire time? This is bad. This is really bad. How the hell do you get something like that out of his body? I don’t even know what it is._

He glanced at his phone. Sean wasn’t answering any of the calls or texts. The Irishman could be anywhere. He could be putting himself or others in danger if he doesn’t get some help. Mark sighed and stood still.

_Where is he even going to get help from? Who else would want to help? I don’t even know what I’m doing or what’s wrong with him. Am I even qualified to do stuff like this? Ugh, I should go find him first. Note to self: Don’t get involved with anymore cute foreign students._

He looked for his jacket and keys. 

His neck started throbbing in immense pain, stopping him in his tracks. He felt his neck, feeling a large Band-Aid draped across it. Mark went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. There was a bandage on his neck, probably from Jack. That monster inside him must have done something. Mark removed part of the bandage, wanting to see where the source of his pain was coming from.

His skin was a deep red around four little marks. A patch of blood vessels around his neck and chest were turning black.

Mark figured he probably was bitten by something. 

He held his head. This was a scary situation for both of them. On one hand, Jack literally had something inside him. On the other hand, Mark might end up having to hurt Jack or die trying to save him from himself.

“What should I do, “ he asked himself, running his fingers through his hair. 

**_Would you like to know how to help your little friend? A soft voice spoke._ **

Mark’s eyes widened and he looked around. There was no one else in the house, could this all be in his mind?

**_Sean needs your help. He could be in danger. You must help him._ **

_I’ll do whatever it takes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Is this the longest chapter I've done so far? It sure feels like it. Poor Jackaboy and Markimoo aren't ready for what's about to go down. Anti's got some tricks up his sleeve. Plus, I just love supportive Felix. 
> 
> P.S. - I wanted to try doing something fun this chapter. Would you guys like to ask characters stuff and see it show up in the notes? Just leave a question in the comments and the name of the character you're asking.


	13. A Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game changer! New character! Longer chapter! Oh, my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm late! I made it 2000+ words as punishment. Forgive meh!

Mark's POV  
In a matter moments, Mark instantly regretted his words. He even felt crazy. Had he lost his mind? Who would trust some random voice they started hearing in their head?  
**_Besides, what other choice do you have?_**  
Apparently, Mark was crazy enough to do it. He decided to listen to the voice, since it was the only chance he had at doing something to help Jack.  
_So, what am I supposed to do?_  
**_You'll have to summon the soul of the being inside him. Once the soul is summoned, you can banish it back into its own world._**  
_How do I do that?_  
**_I'll guide you as you work towards freeing your friend. First, you'll need something to mark your summoning circle._**  
_I could get some paint. Would that be enough?_  
**_Paint would suffice. Now, go get it._**  
Before he left for the store, he took down the play pen gates blocking Chica. She backed away from Mark and snarled at him, showing her teeth like she did with Anti. “W-Woah, girl. Chica, it’s me. Are you mad that I closed you in there?” He tried to pet her on her favorite spot (behind the ears), but quickly moved his hand away once she lunged at him. Mark was utterly surprised. Chica has _never_ bit Mark before, let alone try to bite him. She’s always been such a sweet little dog. Why was she feeling threatened? “What’s wrong Chica-bica?”  
**_Leave the dog alone. It’s not helping Jack, is it?_**  
Mark sighed, knowing that he shouldn’t be wasting time. He slowly got up and refilled her food and water bowls. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t tear up my couch.” Wanting someone to stay with Chica, he texted a friend of his to come check up on her later. He left the apartment and walked downstairs to the car. Starting the car and putting both hands on the wheel, he realized he needed to focus on a different matter; Where could he get paint from without paying an arm and a leg? He glanced over at his student ID, hanging next to his keys. In that moment, Mark remembered a tiny, little detail; Every student from his school got a discount from the local home improvement store. Before now, the red-haired man would have _never_ set foot into the store. It’s not like he was trying to decorate his apartment any time soon. He’d rather be buying toys for Chica or studying for school. But now, Mark was ecstatic that he wouldn’t be forced into paying thirty-five bucks for a couple of cheap paint supplies. It only took about twenty-five minutes to drive to the store, find what he needed and pay for it.  
_Alright, I just bought the paint. What do we do now?_  
**_We’ll need a secluded place to do this ritual._**  
Mark searched for somewhere far from the city, a perfect place to do something like this in case it backfires. There was an old cabin about two hours away that was available for rent. The family that owned it moved away a long time ago. Now, it was used by hikers and people camping out in the woods. It was secluded, making it seem even more suitable for this occasion. Mark waited until night to drive there. If he was going to attempt some ritual, it'd be best to do it when no one was around.  
It took two hours to drive there, yet only two minutes for Mark to become somewhat annoyed. Playing games like Mario Kart gave him slight road rage when people would cut him off. Things would only derail if someone’s stupid decision could have caused an accident. Luckily, it didn’t have to get to that tonight. The drive was a long, slow process. If it weren’t for the music in the car, Mark could have easily fallen asleep at the wheel. Once he arrived at the Cabin and got out the car, he took a good look at his surroundings. Everything stood eerily still. The wind was dead. The sky was stained dark with night. The Moon and stars were not shining as bright as they usually did. Animals and other creatures that should have been scurrying throughout the night was nowhere in sight. It felt unsettling to even think about going deeper in the forest. All the signs seemed to scream at him to turn back and go home.  
_Something feels a little off...Maybe we could try something else._ He thought.  
**_There is no other way. You need to draw a special "circle" on the ground for me. If you don't follow my instructions correctly or in full, you could be in grave danger. That wouldn't help your friend, would it?_**  
Mark sighed. _Wait, and what do you gain from all of this?_  
The voice paused. **_That doesn't matter either. While you're questioning me, two beings are stuck in one body. If I don't help you, they'll both be dead within a week. There won't be a Sean McLoughlin anymore, will there?_**  
Mark stopped questioning its motives, picked up his supplies, and approached the building.  
The cabin seemed a lot older than what the pictures online said it would look like. It almost felt like being Catfished by an advertisement. But, he couldn’t blame the owners. It’s not like drunk teens notice the difference anyway. He walked up the porch steps, not enjoying the loud creaking sounds they made.  
_As if the forest wasn’t creepy enough… ___  
Taking a few moments to unlock the door, Mark entered the cabin and turned on the lights. The main room, under the dull lighting, was disgusting. Other than the rotting wood floorboards, the last “guests” completely trashed the place. Discarded pizza boxes and trash littered the floor, causing little trails of ants to swarm around the mess. The carpet was stained, ruining what could have been a beautiful pattern. At first glance, the couch seemed lumpy and uncomfortable. If Mark actually wanted to spend the night here, he’d demand his money back and sleep in his car. However, he would still have to do the ritual.  
First, he cleared out a section and put down his supplies: Black Paint, Paint thinner, a pair of gloves, a large, thin canvas from the art store, and two brushes. The drawing started with the base, a circle. Three points were marked on the circle with lines curved lines meeting up to the center.  
_Isn't there supposed to be a pentagram or something in the middle?_ The American asked  
**_This is an otherworldly summoning ritual. I'd rather not take human advice on something clearly not human._**  
Mark huffed and kept drawing. The circle was so intricate and difficult to make with such slow drying paint. Mark wished he brought a hairdryer, a fan, or something to dry the paint.  
**_Careful! You'll turn this into your own sacrificial ritual if you ruin the circle._**  
_Relax, I'm already done. What now?_ Mark asked.  
**_You need an offering or a lesser sacrifice to open the bridge between both worlds. Then, you can retrieve the soul._**  
Mark shuddered at the word "sacrifice". Bugs and creepy crawlies are one thing, but humans and animals are another. He couldn't imagine having to kill another human or kill an innocent animal.  
**_It must be a bird,_** the voice demanded.  
He looked up at the sky.  
_A bird, huh? It's going to hard to find one this late at night. Most of them have already stopped chirping_  
**_Better get climbing._**  
The red-haired man groaned and started to walk. It was hard to see in the dark, but it's even harder to find something without a clue of its location. Despite being in a forest, he could barely see any reachable birds’ nests. Small twigs and fallen leaves crunched beneath his feet, practically giving away his location. Anything that did hear him would probably run away.  
_Hopefully, nothing hears me._  
He heard something softly crying into the distance. Mark looked around. There was a small bird lying on the ground. Its wing had been badly bent and broken. Mark couldn't tell if it was crying in pain or because it couldn't fly anymore.  
**_Put it out of its misery. If not, another creature will make it their next meal_**  
Mark sighed and gently picked up the dainty animal. It was shaking in fear, as if it was already accepting the embrace of death. The man felt incredibly bad for the poor bird. It didn't deserve to die in pain. The least he could do was try to help the small animal die in peace.  
**_Just hurry up! Hurry up!_** The voice demanded. **_There’s no time to waste. This must be done as soon as possible._** It sounded anxious, as if it was waiting for something.  
Mark was worried. The voice seemed desperate. Were they running out of time? He quickly took the bird back to the cabin, still feeling horrible about possibly having to seal its fate.  
He set the bird down in the middle of the circle, feeling his stomach drop. "I'm really sorry about this," he sincerely apologized to the bird. Placing both hands on the canvas, he took a deep breath.  
_I'm ready, what now?_  
**_Repeat after me..._**  
It was clear that the language used for the chant was nowhere near English. Mark started to awkwardly try repeating the voice word for word, unsure if anything he said was even remotely correct. Shadows started gathering at the edge of the circle. They moved like flames, but felt colder the closer they came towards him. Mark could feel a chill running down his spine.  
_This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this. I need to stop!_  
The red-haired man tried to stop the ritual, but to no avail. He wasn't copying the voice anymore. The words started to form themselves. His hands, with no feeling whatsoever, were plastered onto the circle. The bird, as the unfortunate sacrifice, had combusted into a large red flame. The poor bird wailed and called for help until its body was entirely consumed by the fire, breaking Mark's heart. The ritual had officially begun.  
The circle started to glow red as the fire grew before him. Then, the flames trickled up Mark’s arms. The burning American screamed out in pain, feeling like the fire was about to melt the flesh off his arms. His arms, however, remained intact. The flames engulfed Mark’s entire body, and the black veins spread across his body. In an instant, Mark’s voice went silent and the flames died completely. He passed out, going straight to the realm of consciousness.  
He opened his eyes, his vision a bit blurry.  
There was another figure in front of him.  
It almost looked exactly like Mark. Its hair was a fiery red. Its body was toned, especially around the arms and chest. Both beings were even wearing the same outfit. But, there was something oddly strange about the copycat in front of him. It had dark eyes filled with malicious intent. The black veins it had on its body traveled up to the side of its face. The overall feeling that Mark was getting from him intimidated him.  
Mark backed away from it. _What are you?_  
**_That’s not a very nice question to ask, isn’t it Mark? You aren’t supposed to ask ‘what are you?’ I’m sure your mother taught you better than that._**  
_Fine, then who are you?_  
It smirked. **_I’m you, but much better. I guess you could call me Dark. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to be borrowing your body for a bit. I hope you don’t mind._**  
Mark furrowed his eyebrows. _Sorry, but I do mind. This is my body, not yours._  
Dark chuckled, amused by the other’s sense of fearlessness. Needless to say, it was eager to change that. **_I’m sorry if you misunderstood, but I didn’t ask for permission._**  
Mark felt his body stiffen up. _W-What’s going on?_  
**_It’s a little something to keep you from ruining my work. I can control your body from the inside. I can’t use it very often though. But, if you still should resist my control, I at least have something else to change that._**  
Dark dug his fingernails into Mark’s arm and dragged them down in several little streaks, making three gashes with his index, middle, and ring finger. Mark grimaced, surprised how strong he felt the pain. Using its bloodied hand, it spun its index finger around in a circle. Mark watched as the blood lifted from his arm and followed the same path. He pointed at Mark, causing it to choke him. The original was gasping for air. After it thought it got the point across, Dark released Mark’s throat.  
**_And if you really get on my nerves, I’m sure your little friend will be much too busy to notice your “disappearance”._** He pooled the blood in his hands, making an awkward shape almost resembling a heart. Then, Dark wrapped a tight fist around it. Suddenly, Mark felt his heart stop beating. He couldn’t breathe. He forced air into his lungs, but he couldn’t _breathe_. Dark relaxed the tension before Mark could start panicking.  
Mark was at a loss for words. He could feel his entire body shaking. He could have had a heart attack. Knowing that his life was literally in the palm of Dark’s hand terrified him. Defeated, Mark allowed Dark to treat him as his puppet. Dark, now in full control of the body, could pull the strings without any interruptions.  
Dark walked to the bathroom and looked at itself in the cracked mirror. Dark veins were visibly branching up to Mark’s face. It needed to efficiently get rid of the black veins so it could truly blend in. He took a deep breath, feeling all of it sink to his chest instead his neck. Opening his eyes, he enjoyed the results of his efforts.  
**_Well, let’s go pay a friend of mine a visit, shall we?_**  
He took Mark's keys, packed everything up, and walked to the car. It didn’t take long for him to get the car humming down the street. The two hours Mark spent driving to the forest was slightly decreased now that most sane people were rushing to get inside for any chance at getting enough sleep. In an hour and a half, he was now home.  
**_Now, where could the little Irishman be hiding?_**  
Jack’s POV  
Jack was tossing and turning in bed. He was having another nightmare, but this one was different. He imagined Mark being held by red chains, tortured by people he's never seen before. He screamed out with every painful lash hitting his back and arms. He was bleeding out from the jagged whips ruthlessly slicing through his skin. Jack stretched a hand out to him, wanting to help, but couldn’t. Nothing could hear him. Nothing could see him. Nothing could touch him. He was almost glad to see another person try to help him. That is, until he noticed who it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter. Plus, I keep harming birds. I wonder if there's a reason for that *coughs*. Now that there's two vs. two, who will come out on top?


	14. A Change in Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti has a heart, sort of...?

Jack’s POV

Anti, who had been watching this vile act for a little bit, fought off the offenders. The looming shadows behind him made him look fearsome and powerful. He crouched down and broke the chains with his shadows, allowing Mark to collapse on him. The audience, who was wholly enjoying Mark's treatment, didn't like this display of mercy. They wanted bloodshed. They desired death. They needed more. The crowd swarmed the pair, wanting to punish both men for their insolence. Anti helped Mark up to his feet and ran, not strong enough to fight the angry mob. As Anti got farther and farther, the world around Jack started disappearing. People faded into white, leaving Jack alone on a blank slate. Not wanting to be wiped out, Jack ran after Mark and Anti.

It was so strange. Even though he lost sight of them, he could still find them. It felt like he was being drawn to them. Soon, the Irishman found himself not too far from his location. Anti and Mark were sitting in the dead end of a dark alleyway. If anyone did find them, they would instantly be cornered. Although, Anti wouldn’t allow anyone to get that far. He displayed shadows around them, giving the illusion that nothing was there. It was a clever trick to pull off in such short notice. To fully understand just what the hell was going on, Jack silently listened to the two, paying close attention to what they were saying.

“You’re a fucking idiot. How could you get yourself caught like that? You could have easily taken them all out.” Anti chided. A concerned look on his face appeared as Anti looked over Mark’s injuries. Most of the cuts didn’t go too deep, but they were bloody.

Mark weakly laughed. “I’d love too, but my powers have their limits as well. If I used them anymore, it would put more stress on my body. At least I have someone like you to save me when that happens. Not everyone is this lucky.” Jack ventured through the shadows, getting a clearer view. In the dim light of the evening, he could see dark branches of veins leading up to Mark’s face. It was even worse than the aftereffects of Anti’s bite. “Besides, wouldn’t you be able to kill them faster than I can at this rate-,” Mark started choking towards the end of his sentence, coughing up blood and anything else that came with it.

_Poor guy, he must’ve been beaten long before the torture began._

Anti sighed, almost feeling a bit of pity for him. “Come on, I think they’ve lost us. I’ll get you fixed up once we get to my place, but you’re getting that god-awful smell off by yourself.” He wrapped an arm around Mark and slowly helped him up. Mark wobbled for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Let’s hurry.” Mark suggested.  “At the rate my body is taking to heal, I wouldn’t want to bleed out. I’ve left enough messes for you to clean up for today.”

“Dark,” Anti said sternly. “Don’t push yourself. We’ll both get through this.”

_Wait, Dark?_

They made their way to what seemed to be Jack’s- well, Anti’s apartment. He carefully helped Dark up the stairs, using his shadows to elevate his feet. Before Jack could get inside, Anti closed the door on his face.

_Shit_

The Irishman reached for the door handle and tried to enter properly, but phased through the door entirely. It was like he wasn’t even there.

_Is this even a dream anymore?_

Jack caught up with the two in the living room. Anti was cleaning wounds while Dark dealt with the pain. However, that pain was nothing compared to those whips. The sting of alcohol was temporary and at least meant that something was being cleaned. Those whips brought injury and the possibility of dying of shock or blood loss. With most of the cuts across his back clean, Anti moved in front of Dark to check for any more cuts. He glanced over at Dark, noticing the hazy look in his eyes. “The hell’s wrong with you?” Anti asked. Dark’s stomach rumbled, giving a Anti a reasonable answer. Anti shook his head and went to the kitchen. Dark stayed put. He wasn’t going to attempt to question Anti, lest he stop. A few moments later, Anti came back with a plate of “food”. It might’ve been from something he hunted down or his last victim. Dark surely didn’t seem to care since he ate it as soon as Anti kneeled to give it to him. He ripped the flesh off the bones, scraping everything clean. His hunger was satisfied, but he was still thirsty. Dark glanced over at Anti, then looked down.

“What is it now?” Anti asked, wanting an actual verbal answer. Soon after the words left his mouth, Dark pulled him forward and bit down hard into his neck. Anti yelled in pain from the ruthless feeding, feeling teeth dig into his flesh. He couldn’t push him off without losing a portion of his neck. Without any other options, all Anti could do was patiently wait.

Meanwhile, Dark was hungrily drinking as much as he needed. All the blood he lost earlier took a lot more out of him than he thought. Even though drinking Anti’s blood wouldn’t restore his blood, it would replace a little bit of what he needed. It didn’t take long to drink a pint of blood. Dark, being the opportunist that he is, decided to use this to his advantage.

Before Anti realized what was happening, Dark wrapped his arms around him and left a trail of kisses up his neck. Anti’s face flushed red as he forcefully pushed him off. Whatever feelings he had died as soon as the pain fully set in. Jack could tell that it must have been extremely painful from the way Anti held his neck. He looked menacingly up at Dark, ready to kill him. “T-Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you…”

Dark chuckled a bit. “There’s a lot more I can give you later.”

Jack could even feel his heart racing from where he was watching. Dark laughed, clearly amused by the look on the other’s face. “Oh, go fuck yourself” Anti said as he was about to leave.

Dark grabbed his hand, instantly apologetic. “W-Wait, I’m sorry, just don’t go…” There was a short period of silence. Neither of them moved an inch. Anti stared into Dark’s eyes, looking for a reason to stay. Unfortunately, Dark gave him too many. He ripped his hand away from Dark’s and sat down a good distance away from him.

Much to his luck, Dark moved closer to Anti, ignoring the pain that came from moving.

“You’re fuckin’ insufferable, you know that?” Anti mumbled.

“You know you love me,” Dark replied. Dark put one hand over Anti’s, squeezing it a little. “At least I hope so,” he muttered. He waited for Anti to squeeze back. But when he didn’t, he slipped his hand away. Then, Jack felt something familiar; He felt Anti’s heart ache.

_Maybe we’re not so different after all..._

Before Jack could see anymore, he was dragged out of his dream and into the realm of consciousness.

Anti was furious. It grabbed Jack by the shirt collar, so mentally close to breaking him. Its eyes were black with dark green irises. **_Stay the hell out of my business!_** It threw Jack to the ground, struggling to calm down. 

Jack sat up and looked up at Anti in shock. W- _Wait, could you see what I was dreaming? What was that?_

Anti turned around, facing away from Jack. **_Just…stay away from my memories..._**

Jack looked at Anti walk away and eventually fade back into shadows. He never knew Anti could be nice. Then again, they barely knew anything about each other.

Next, everything else started to blur and fade away. It was time to wake up.  

Jack opened his eyes to see a body hovering over his bedside.

…Mark?

“ **…is that you?** ” it asked. An inkling of doubt went through Jack’s mind. Mark’s voice sounded a bit lower than usual. He thought back to the dream. This may have not been Mark’s usual tone, but it was the same tone he heard in the dream.

“That depends, which one are you looking for?”

Its eyes turned black for a moment. His suspicions were correct.

" **Could you give me some time with Anti? Now, please. I hate being kept waiting.** " By the look on its face, it probably pained Dark to say ‘please’. Jack was glad that it didn’t say what he wanted to. Threats would make the situation even more stressful. He closed his eyes, allowing Anti to take over.

Although, it took a lot longer than expected. Anti didn’t want to come out. It didn’t even budge.

“I-I’m sorry,” Jack said sheepishly. “I don’t think he wants to talk right now.”

Dark stared intensely at Sean, not wanting that answer. It grabbed his neck, feeling the dark veins start to inch up to his face. For the first time, Jack wanted- no, _needed_ Anti to come out. Before now, the thought of him risking Anti coming out would give him a headache. Now, he was practically asking, begging, pleading Anti to just do something. It’s not like he could force Anti to come out.

Yet, Anti barely moved an inch. Even with such a grand opportunity before him, he refused to act.

Dark closed his eyes and sighed, seeming a bit reluctant. It almost gave Jack a bit of hope. “ **I didn’t want to hurt such a pretty face...** ” Dark clenched his fist, adding almost enough pressure to kill.

_Calm down_

_Calm down_

Jack couldn’t think straight.

He tried to pry Dark's hand off, but the other was stronger. Jack, running out of ideas, spat on him. Annoyed beyond measure, Dark effortlessly threw him across the room. Had he been thrown any harder, he would've hit the wall and broke something (in or out his body). Jack only hit the ground and broke out into a coughing fit. He was incredibly thankful to be out of Dark’s grasp and have a chance to breathe. Although, it wasn't time to count his lucky stars just yet. He felt his body being lifted and pinned against the wall. Dark took hold of one of Jack's arms, twisting it slightly. " **I wonder if twisting your arm off would influence him in the slightest.** " The Irishman was officially terrified. How was the man doing this anything like Mark? Then, something started stirring wildly inside him. Anti wanted to come out. Now. Jack was relieved and eager to let him to take over.

Dark twisted his arm more, almost breaking it. Sean was silent. Dark thought it had finally won until it was hit with a massive migraine. It let go of him and collapsed to the ground, holding its head.

" **This must have been how they caught you back then...** " The body stretched his arms and turned around, revealing a pair of dark eyes with a dark green ring inside them. " **Dark, let me tell you something important; Don't break _anything_ on this body, or I’ll break you.** ” The cold words seemed to pierce through Dark. It looked down, upset at its own foolishness. Anti noticed this, feeling a little bad for being so harsh. “ **I hate to admit this, but you weren’t a complete waste of time. You have my attention, my control, and his fear.** ” Shadows started gathering around him. “ **So…lets end this as fast as we can.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just found out about the glories of posting in Rich Text instead of HTML. It's not going to take 30 minutes to format everything anymore T u T. Happy tears. Hugs for everyone. This chapter was incredibly hard for me to write. I edited it like 20 times and was still not done. (I may need to find a co-writer soon). Enough about me, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Will there be a happy ending?
> 
> P.S. Happy St. Paddy's Day everybody!


	15. A Small Chance to Be Symbiotic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti and Dark decide the fate of their counterparts.

After all the trouble Anti went through to get this far, it could finally find more information that explains, in detail, the appropriate ritual to place Mark and Jack in their old bodies or destroy them entirely. It was almost like Christmas came early.

“ **So, tell me what you’ve found so far.** ” Anti asked Dark, expecting nothing less than perfect news.

Dark’s blood ran cold. Anti, in its own complicated and hypocritical way, hated excuses almost as much as it hated liars. The thought of disappointing it struck Dark with fear. It wouldn’t take long for Anti to get tired of its mistakes. Once Dark exhausts its purpose, it would get thrown away for being useless and eventually die in this stupid body without Anti’s help; The thought alone terrified it. Dark needed to think of something to prevent that from happening and fast. He just needed to play everything off as if nothing was that big of a deal.

“ **Well,** ” it started. “ **It was difficult trying to do the transfer ritual without your aid. Finding information on how to do something like this, something so unheard of, is strenuous. I’m not quite sure if anyone has even successfully attempted and completed this ritual before us. I mean, it is taboo-** “

Anti knew as soon as Dark opened its mouth. It’s hard to lie to a natural manipulator and deceiver. Though, Anti didn’t stop it sooner. It was **_so_** fun to watch. It would have been more amusing to see Dark struggle so much if it wasn’t so infuriating.

“ **Stop** , “Anti interrupted, injecting words with venom. “ **You didn’t find _anything_ , did you**?” It paused to laugh at the pitiful sight before it.

Dark could tell how angry it was. It was going to be annoying as hell to deal with later.

“ **No, I do have information to use at my disposal. It’s just that I don’t have a lot to work with. Besides, there was hardly anything useful I could find that even mentioned soul switching. I’m sorry.** ” It admitted.

The look on Anti’s face was sour.

“ **Dark…That’s shit and you know it. You haven’t found anything while I was gone, haven’t you?”** Anti paused to hold its head and yawned **. “N-Not only have you wasted your own time, but you have successfully put my life in danger-** ”

Sean’s eyelids started to droop and his sight started to fog. The stress Anti and Jack caused the body was draining energy extremely fast and inefficiently. Thankfully, the vital organs were still functioning normally. Although, very few bodily functions (for example, metabolism) weren’t being performed as well as usual. The brain could hardly find the words it needed, let alone focus on the subject. It needed rest.

 ** _Damn this body. Damn this idiot. Damn it all. This better be worth it in the end,_** Anti thought.

“ **I’m going to rest until morning. In the meantime, you _will_ look up how and where this event will take place. There better be an impressive amount of info found by sunrise,** ” Anti demanded, trying to suppress a yawn.

“ **There will be** ,” Dark replied obediently, biting back its tongue.

 ** _Maybe sleep would do him some good. It might make him less irritable. I can handle searching for the night_** , Dark thought.

Anti laid back down, trying to get sleep despite the incredible urge to beat Dark senseless. After all, it knew that Dark wouldn’t dare lay a finger on it. The other would want nothing more than to set everything ablaze and watch it burn for its partner’s pleasure. Causing physical pain to Anti was out of the question for Dark. Likewise, (but not to the same extent,) Anti would never harm Dark physically. (Its words served as an excellent ruse for what it truly thought and they worked. It’s not like it could bring itself to tell Dark the truth, right?)

Once the body had finally lulled itself to sleep, Jack took the time to speak with Anti before it went to sleep.

 _Anti, I need to ask you something_ , he thought. His voice was strangely somber. The happiness and carefree, unadulterated joy had been drained from his tone.

_Please...could you give us back our bodies? If not for both of us, then please give back Mark's. It was my fault for dragging him into this. I don't want him to suffer because of me._

**_No, and it would have happened regardless of your behavior_** _._ Anti replied coldly. **_All that matters to me is that we escape from where we used to be, even if it leads to destroying you_**.

Jack felt himself being crushed by Anti's words. Hearing death knocking on your door was undoubtedly worrying, but leaving so many people behind was worse. Many unsaid words and some unfinished tasks weighed heavily on his heart. He felt like he should have done more. He should have gotten better grades to please his mom, he should have been less of a burden to his father, and he should have at least apologized to Mark.

_Wait_

An idea, one that may turn the tides, went through Jack's mind.

_A-Anti, wait, hear me out for one moment. If you two take our bodies, how are you going to handle living as us? Even though you'll look like us, could you handle being a decent citizen? If you break certain laws and hurt other people, you'll end up rotting in a jail cell. If you use your powers out in public, you'll be captured and tested on or something. Why don't we just split everything? We'll be us during the day and you can come out during the night..._

As much as it absolutely hated to admit this, Jack was right. The offer was undoubtedly pleasing. Anti hated everything mundane and normal about life. It didn't feel like going to school and pretending to care about people would be tiring. Yet, something still stood in their way; Could their bodies handle the stress of having two souls? If so, how long would it last?

Anti turned around and faced Jack, staring deep into his soul. Jack may have been desperate, but he was honestly thinking things through. Whether this was for Mark's sake or his, Anti couldn't tell.

**_Why are you doing this? Do you feel bad for him? He's just a tool you can use when you can. If he breaks, it's not your fault._ **

Jack turned the question right back at it.

_Why don't you do the same with Dark?_

Anti suffered under the weight of its own silence. Why couldn't it let Dark go? Dark's an idiotic, inconsiderate, insufferable fool. Deep down (fucking past the two crusty layers of bitter hatred of living things, desire of no limitations, and a thirst for control), a part of Anti was fond of Dark's company. It served as an obedient unit (and maybe a "friend").

**_That’s none of your concern. I am doing this for my freedom and nothing more. But, I will discuss this little compromise of yours with Dark. Pray that it works..._ **

Its body returned to its shadowy form to rest, leaving behind a very satisfied Jackaboy absolutely grinning in victory.

Mark/Dark’s POV

Dark, gritting its teeth, continued to work in the dining room using Jack’s laptop. Negative thoughts raced through its mind, making it more open to violent behavior. It hated the condescending attitude Anti would put on when things didn’t go as planned. It always made the green-haired counterpart sound like a prick, yet it also showed just how stressed it was. Dark tightly clenched its fist. God, it wanted to break Anti in more ways than one. The black veins, in response to frustration, spread up to the side of its face. Holding back from punching a hole in the wall or in Anti, Dark took a deep breath and calmed down. Since Anti wasn’t there to say otherwise, it wandered outside for a short walk. The night was so quiet, peaceful and calm. All the things that it wasn’t.

_Why do you put up with this?_

**_He’s just stressed out. Why does it matter to you?_ **

_For one, you’re in my body. I don’t need bloody knuckles because you needed some “stress relief”, and decided that breaking stuff was the best way to get it. If you don’t let him treat you like you’re beneath him, maybe he’ll start seeing you as equals and I won’t have to worry about breaking Jack’s furniture._

**_It’s not like you’ll be around for long. We’ll be getting rid of you as soon as we can. As soon as I find something useful..._ **

_You don’t have to do this. I’m sure there’s some other way-_

**_There isn’t and there won’t be another way. I don’t like sharing anything of mine._ **

_Including “Anti”?_

Mark was spot on. Dark didn’t want to share Anti with any and everything. Whether Anti likes it or not, Anti is Dark’s and always will be. With Anti in Jack’s body, it made it want to claim Anti even more.

_Don’t worry, I kind of feel the same for Jack. I guess that’s because you and me are supposed to be the same person._

**_You may look like me, but you aren’t. You would never understand how I feel. Shut up and quit talking as if you do-_ **

_You want him to tell you how he feels. You’re tired of loving them and having to guess if they like you back. You try to impress them and go out of your way to help them, but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Nothing feels enough, and nothing will feel enough. You’ll just wait until he notices. And it’s all so confusing because you don’t know what to do…_

Dark hated being read like an open book. It didn’t think it would be this obvious to everyone else except Anti. An awful feeling pooled in its stomach, humiliation. Dark felt a deep growl escape its throat. It was so angry, it wanted to break something and watch it shatter into a million little pieces. It needed to let out this frustration. Yet, Dark chuckled a little. Both men were in the same miserable position. They were lovesick fools to even go this far and keep going. The more it thought, the more it felt itself starting to sympathize with Mark.

**_Let’s suppose I did feel like that…I’d eventually grow tired of sitting around and waiting for something to happen. So, I wouldn’t wait anymore. I- no, we both have got to stop waiting like little bitches and go out there and do something._ **

_Would you give me a chance to?_

**_…I doubt it._ **

Dark walked back inside and went back to work. Morning wouldn’t be for a couple of hours, so it had some time to pull something together. Since it couldn’t just google a ritual, Dark looked up information on the human body and soul. Then, by adjusting some of the symbols on a transfer ritual, it could reverse the effects. Hours went by, and Dark was still stubbornly tapping away at the computer. Its eyesight slowly started to fade. The body was too tired. It’d soon cave into resting, just like Anti did.

**_No._ **

It kept looking up more info and recording some onto a word document file and jot down other notes onto a notepad, despite how badly its hands shook after a while.

**_J-Just a bit more…_ **

With that last thought out of mind, it carefully shut the laptop and pushed the computer aside. The body collapsed soon after, sending it to sleep immediately. It’d be lucky to get at least a few hours of sleep.  

-

Anti woke up bright and early in the morning, feeling much better than it did last night. Moving the green mess out its face, it sat up and looked around the room. It didn’t expect Dark to not bother it as it slept. Maybe it had been too hard on Dark. Taking one of the thinner blankets in hand, it wrapped the blanket around its body and went to the Dining room table to check on Dark.

Dark was snoring heavily, obviously tired from the all-nighter. Anti browsed through some of the notes it scribbled down before passing out. The writing was messy and disorganized, almost as if its hands were shaking as it was writing. Anti sighed and rubbed its temples, hoping Dark could translate this later. It walked into the kitchen, wanting a meal much more appealing than its previous one.

**_So, Jack, do you have anything edible for me to eat?_ **

-

Dark woke up to see all its work in a neat stack by the computer and a pleasant-smelling meal in front of it.

 ** _That wasn’t there before,_** it thought. A smile tugged at the ends of his mouth. **But, I don’t mind it at all**.

The lukewarm cup of coffee placed beside the plate took most of its attention. It sat up and reached for the cup, feeling a blanket slip off its shoulders and onto the floor. It sighed in relief, hoping that this meant it was off the hook for now. Dark picked up the fork on the edge of the plate and began eating its meal. The food tasted and smelled delicious, especially the bacon and sausages. It had missed being able to eat meat (since it wasn’t allowed to eat human flesh in this body). It hardly took anytime for it to clean the plate. After it finished the meal and emptied its cup of coffee, it washed the dishes and went to find the cook.

Beyond the dining room, the TV was quietly whispering about advertisements in the living room. Dark looked on the couch and saw a head of green hair sticking out from the blanket covering the rest of the body. It kneeled and moved the blanket back, finding the cute Irishman sleeping on one of the couch pillows.  Dark forgot that Anti could ever be cute sometimes. It figured that it should take a picture, but knew that the other would destroy the device that held it if it found out.

“ **Come on, wake up** ,” it said as he lightly shook Sean awake.

“ **Hmm**?” Sean groaned, still a bit dazed.

“ **Now, which one do I happen to be talking to**?” Dark asked, not risking to guess.

“ **If you don’t have anything to show me, you better hope you’re talking to Jack**.” it responded.

The other man chuckled, “ **Alright Anti, I’ll show you everything I have found so far**.”

Anti hesitated.

“ **Actually** ,” it started. “ **I take that back. We’ll focus on what you found later. I need to talk to you about something…”** Dark noticed Anti’s demeanor change. Its harsh tone of voice had tuned sly and charming. There was a twinkle in Anti’s eye and a devious smirk grew onto its face. Dark was already intrigued. It knew that Anti was always playfully mischievous. The green haired male only did things that would amuse itself. Dark missed this part of it. Interested, it wanted to know what Anti had up its sleeve. **“Before we start, I don’t want them listening to what we say. Think of it as a “surprise”. Let’s keep them out of this, completely, shall we?** ”

Dark smirked, hoping to see more of this side of Anti. “ **Alright…** ”

Not everyone was okay with their decision. Both counterparts begged and pleaded for this not to happen. Their dark selves needed monitoring for everyone’s sake. Although, neither side listened to their incessant cries. All of Mark and Jack's inner senses were turned off one by one. This left them at the mercy of their mind and thoughts. Cut off from the world, both men were given an unrelenting feeling of fear.

Jack's confused feelings pooled into doubt and self-pity. Thoughts of Anti’s possible betrayal flooded his mind. Trapped in the recesses of his mind, all he could do is worry.

_Should we have trusted him?_

_Will he stab us in the back?_

_How long will this last?_

_Will Mark ever forgive me? Could he?_

_This is all your fault._

**_This is all your fault!_ **

**_THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!_ **

Jack imagined what it would be like to just suddenly fade into nothingness. He wanted to curl up and wallow underneath the weight of his guilt.  

Mark was more accepting towards the end. Surely, he didn’t want things to turn out like this. But, he didn’t see a happy ending at the end of the tunnel. No matter how close the American thought he could get to Dark, he saw betrayal and death waiting for him. Thoughts swiveled and clashed in his mind.

_This is it._

_I'm a failure._

_My family and friends will be ashamed of me._

_Did Dark even care?_

_Did I care about anything before this?_

_No, there was one thing I cared for._

_Why did I care for “him”?_

_Him._

Then, his mind met a quiet peace. The usual dark scenery turned into a white dreamscape. Chaos turned into beautiful harmony as thorns of doubt fell as flower petals. Amid this pleasantry, he thought of one person. Now, if only he could get the other to feel the same.

-

On the outside, Anti and Dark were having a “wonderful” time preparing for their final act.

Anti kept drawing drafts of what the circle should look like and how it would affect the outcome of the ritual. This usually took months, if not years. It would take Anti at least two hours and a good pair of glasses.

**“Dark, are you keeping an eye on your counterpart?”**

Dark tore up one of the extra bedsheets in Jack’s bathroom closet and set it atop the table. **“I’m sure he doesn’t need babysitting. Besides, I’m sure you’re having fun invading Jack’s mind like a little pest, aren’t you?”**

Anti laughed, trying not to smudge the drawing. “ **I’m just having a little bit of fun with him. He looks so pitiful, so broken. What do you think I should do next? Torturing him went well the last time I did it. Speaking of torture, are you doing anything to yours?** ”

Dark shook its head, “ **I haven’t found a reason to harm him just yet. Threats work just fine on him. He values his life enough to make him obey, but he’d be ready to sacrifice himself for another. I’m worried that he’d get used empty threats one day and try to challenge me. Maybe dangling Mark’s death on thin threads would be more effective on someone else…** ” It sat there deep in thought wondering who the next victim would be. Victimizing family and friends unbeknownst of Dark and Anti was a big no-no. Using outsiders would make the situation more complicated than it already is. It needed someone already too invested, in too deep. It glanced up at Anti, who was still sketching and planning. A grin formed on its face.

“ **And I know just who to talk to…** ”

-

Mark woke up with control of his body. The room was dimly lit, sparking an unsettling feeling within him. Sitting up and looking around, he could tell that he was in the living room. The small coffee table had been covered in a white table cloth with a strange circle drawn and lit candles around four of the specially marked symbols on it. A knife was placed in the center. Mark guessed that it was probably the set up to perform some sort of ritual. Sean was sitting down across from him. His shaking hands held his face as faint whimpers came out.

“...Jack?”

The Irishman jumped and looked straight down, scraping his face clean with his sleeve. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

“H-Hey Mark,” he uttered quietly, as if defeated.

“What's wrong,” he asked. Jack could hear the concern rising in Mark's voice.

“I-I was just worried. I thought Dark did something to you. You haven't been up for a while now.” The response seemed a bit forced, but Mark didn't feel like prying right now.

“So, what's with the ritual circle and candlelight?”

“W-We need to perform this ritual, tonight.”

“What's going to happen if we do?”

The other went silent for a moment, almost holding his breath.

“It doesn't matter, let's just hurry up and get this over with.”

“What if I don't want to?” Mark asserted as he started to blow out one of the candles.

“STOP”, Jack shouted. Neither of them expected his voice to raise to that volume so suddenly.

Jack looked down, his tone of voice immediately retreating. “Please…don’t make this any harder.”

“Why are we doing this? They aren’t trying to help us. Why should we just hand over our bodies to them?” Mark asked.

“It’s because I-,” Jack started, biting his tongue before he could finish. “I-I can’t tell you.”

The red-haired man felt betrayed. “Do you really not trust me?”

“ **I’m getting tired, Fischbach. I wanted to just sit back, relax, and watch as you two did this ritual, but it seems that’s not the case. So, you have two solutions: Do the ritual and do everything _exactly_ as we say, or someone dies. Hurry and decide. You don’t want to keep me waiting, do you?** ” With only a slight change in voice, Mark knew exactly who he was talking to and how to respond.  

"I know you wouldn't kill Jack until you get his body."

" **Or, we could change rituals. I'm rather fond of this body, but having dominance may not cut it. I'll have to make a new one and use his spirit as a catalyst. Then, you'll never see him again. Not even in death**." Anti looked Mark dead in the eye, desperate to see him squirm. " **Unless...someone was more willing to submit.** "

Mark stared at it, wanting to gouge out its spiteful eyes. "Fine." Fine had never been so hard to say in his entire life.

Anti smirked. **“I’m glad we reached an agreement. Now, this attempt better be smoother than the last.** ” Sean’s body started to wobble. Then, it collapsed, causing Mark to lunge forward and catch him. A dazed pair of eyes opened after a few seconds had gone by. "...Mark? W-What happened? I just blacked out..."

Mark sighed. "Nothing happened. You just fell..." He pulled Jack in for a hug, afraid that this might be their last. "Come on, let's just do the ritual."

Jack nodded, looking down. "Mark...I'm really sorry for dragging you into this."

Mark frowned a bit, looking a little disheartened by his words. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. I chose to try my best to help you and I regret none of it. Don't ever beat yourself up. We're going to get through this."

Jack smiled a little, comforted by his words, yet still not believing them. Mark went back to his side of the table.

“Alright, we’re ready,” Mark announced, slightly lying.

 ** _Now, you need to follow these instructions carefully and precisely,_** both Dark and Anti told their respective counterparts.

Both men nodded.

**_There will be a candle to your right. Using the knife on the table, leave a small gash that’s barely big enough to allow blood to drip down. Hold your hand above the fire and let a small drop of blood fall onto the candlelight. Do not let any of the candles die._ **

Mark grabbed the knife first, slicing open a small gash into the soft part of his palm. When he was finished, he handed the knife to Jack. The green haired looked at the blade for a few moments. The shiny metal was now stained red. He shuddered and cleaned the blade off with his sleeve. Closing his eyes, Jack slit open a small part of his palm. With both men having finished their first step, Mark and Jack put their right hands over their respective candles. Mark’s candlelight turned fiery red, almost reaching up to his hand. It occasionally jerked in different direction, but remained mostly stable. Jack’s candlelight turned into an unstable, dark green flame. He stared into the wildly wavering fire, mesmerized by its movement and appearance. The distracted male didn’t even notice his hand getting closer to the fire.  

 ** _Pay attention,_** Anti chided.

Jack looked at his hand and immediately retracted it.

 ** _Put it back over the fire! I don’t need you ruining the ritual,_** Anti screeched.  

Jack moved his hand over the fire. _S-Sorry…_

The counterparts resumed instruction.

**_Move your hands in a circular pattern over the fire, almost as if you are making a mirror. Repeat these words to the best of your ability and do not stop moving your hands._ **

Mark and Jack began moving their hands and reciting.

Each candle’s fire grew higher and higher. Mark’s hand kept going through its steady path. Jack flinched, afraid to get burned.

 ** _Don’t stop_** , Anti said sternly.

Jack closed his eyes, not wanting to look. He kept moving his hand, hoping Anti wouldn’t mind how much he was shaking.

The flames followed the motion of their hands, forming the mirrors. Then, the flames created reflections.

**_Say my name._ **

Mark went first.

“Dark”

Jack opened his eyes, and stared at the sight before him. Everything in him wanted to scream, but calling for help would do nothing. There is no escaping this. He was already in too deep.

“Anti”

Both reflections opened their eyes and dove into the body of the one looking at them. Both men were too stunned to move away. With the ritual now complete, their fate was sealed and their lives would be changed forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'MSOSORRYTHISTOOKSOLONGTOMAKE! I made this chapter extra long as an apology. Sorry for making you put up with my bullshit. Oh, and would anyone like to guess how this is going to "end?"
> 
> P.S. Thank you so much for reading this story. I really get so excited every time I see a new comment.


	16. Where Things Begin and Things End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING IN SO LONG! FORGIVE ME OTL

Mark’s POV

Mark was the first among last night’s witnesses to regain consciousness. Well, kind of. He didn’t open his eyes. He just wanted to stay wrapped up in warm blankets, ignoring the world around him. Though, there was a small problem. The one thing keeping him from the perfectly undisturbed sleep he craved was a strange weight sitting on his chest. But, he didn't care enough to push it off. He just laid there, not even bothering to acknowledge it. Mark only opened his eyes when he noticed that the weight shifted a little on its own. Before the blurriness cleared up, he saw a burst of green resting in his arms. The American was in a quiet panic. He was _holding_ Jack. The Irishman was laying his head upon Mark's chest with his arms wrapped around Mark.  

Mark’s face lit up, putting a red tint over his cheeks. Questions bounced back and forth through his mind. _How did we get here? What the hell happened last night? Why are we sleeping together?_ Jack slightly moved in his sleep, worrying Mark even more. Mark needed to force himself to calm down before he woke the peaceful being from slumber. First, he steadied his breathing. Then, he put all his focus on one thing: Jack. The traffic of Mark’s thoughts gradually slowed down, giving him time to think about each one. First, he thought about their relationship. Jack had never been this close to him before. They were just friends. All they spoke about seemed to be school, video games and family. Everything changed when they found themselves tied up in this big mess. By enduring the same difficulties, Mark had the chance to get closer to Jack. Yet, they were still so far apart. Mark couldn’t stop himself from doubting that Jack had any interest for him. Sighing, he gently ran a hand through Jack’s hair.

Jack turned a little in his sleep and quietly muttered something…

Mark’s name.

The red-haired man’s heart painfully ached as he withdrew his hand. The one he wanted was in his arms, but he didn’t know if Jack could truly become _his_. Surely things didn’t move _that_ fast while he was unconscious. Mark tried his best to think back to the previous night. Yet, everything since then seemed to be a distant blur. It was difficult to recall almost everything that happened that day. The one thing he did remember was seeing Jack a bit before the ritual. Mark was surprised to see his tear stained face, broken attitude, and fearful demeanor. Worst of all, Jack solely blamed himself for everything that took place. To see the stress eating Jack alive was killing Mark. He never wanted Jack to go through this, and, if possible, would have stopped it all together if he could. Now that everything has happened and there’s no turning back, Mark promised himself that he would protect Sean better than he ever has.

Jack shifted in his sleep once more. The red-haired man realized that it would be bad if he woke like this. To keep things somewhat less awkward between the two, Mark decided be the first to get out of bed as well. He carefully unwrapped Jack from his body and laid him back down. Jack, probably from missing the other’s warmth, curled up. Mark couldn't help smiling a little. Taking hold of the covers, he wrapped the blankets around Jack. Then, Mark focused back on the task at hand.

He struggled to get out of bed and stand. Part of his body felt relieved and well-rested. But because of what happened last night, the other half of the body felt excruciating pain. Every couple of breaths, his chest ached. His legs had a slow continuous pattern of sharp, throbbing pains. Broken glass seemed to prick his feet with each step. However, Mark only cared about one side effect of the ritual; He could no longer feel Dark inside his body. The loss filled him with fear and false hope. The American wanted to believe that the ritual had failed and expelled Anti and Dark from their bodies. He wanted to think positively about this. But deep inside, he knew that nothing was that simple. Reality was never simple. Instead of worrying even further, he took the time to walk around the apartment.

Everything was blissfully still. Sunlight gently peaked through the curtains. The candles had long been blown out from their last charade. The circle on the sheet disappeared, leaving behind a crisp, clean white. The only surviving piece of evidence was the knife on the table. Dried blood still sullied the blade.

Jack’s blood.

The remainder of Mark’s hope in the ritual’s failure started to fade. However, it didn’t stop him from hoping for something else. Taking the knife in hand, he washed the blood off in the kitchen sink and put it away. Mark paused and looked back at the table. Everything else was still there. _It'd be better if Jack didn't wake up and have to do this by himself_ , he thought. _I don't mind a little cleaning_. He threw away the torn sheet used during the ritual. All of the candles were put away. After he finished cleaning, Mark glanced at the time. He knew that he should probably go home and check on Chica, but not before leaving Jack a little something.

Jack’s POV

Sean woke up a couple hours later. Normally, he would be waking up refreshed and well rested. This wasn’t a normal morning, at all. Everything felt a bit off. Physically, a lingering pain was plaguing him all over his body. All his joints were stinging him with sharp pains for even the smallest of movements. Mentally, he felt alone. As an independent person, he was used to living by himself. It gave him a nice barrier between him and the stress of the outside world. This time, the entire atmosphere of the apartment just felt unbearably empty. It felt like something was _missing_. He restlessly turned over.

Sean thought back to last night.

He couldn’t remember anything except for seeing Mark.

Thinking closely, Jack knew for sure that it wasn’t Mark.

~

Just before the ritual, Jack woke up to see a familiar face finishing setting up for something. He had several candles, a large piece of hastily ripped off cloth, and a knife.

“M-Mark,” he yawned. “What are you doing with all of this stuff?”

It chuckled, clearly amused by his assumption.

“ **Ah, just the person I wished to see.** ”  It turned around, flashing red eyes at him. “ **However, I don’t believe I am the one you hoped to see**.” It set the rest of the materials down beside the table, picked up the knife, and stepped closer to Jack.  

Jack backed up, trying to increase the distance between them.

Dark kept walking forward, enjoying this little game of Cat and Mouse. 

“ **You know, you’re the one getting in the way of our plans. Anti doesn’t like that, and I _certainly_ don’t like that either. So, let’s make a little deal, just between the two of us.**” It raised the knife, as if it wanted to kill Jack in one swift blow.

Sean’s back hit the wall. At this rate, he could barely think with his nerves on a constant spike. He breathlessly looked around the room, searching for a good place to make a break for it. A sudden realization sparked defiance and courage within the Irishman. He fearlessly looked at Dark right in the eyes. “Anti and I are still in the same body. If you kill me, you’ll kill him too.”

“ **I haven’t forgotten that. It’s the reason you’re still alive.** **However, who said this had to be for you?** ” It asked, a dastardly smirk appearing on his face.

The shorter man was seething with anger and frustration at the sheer disrespect. Dark only saw this as a game. It’s not like Dark cared about the innocent life he was gambling with. Dangling Mark’s body on a string meant nothing to him. The invading soul just “forgot” that this body belonged to an actual fucking person.  “You wouldn’t dare…” Jack hissed.

With one swift movement, Dark quickly brought the knife down upon himself. Jack was fortunate and fast enough to stop him. The knife only left a small laceration, which was much better than Dark mortally wounding himself. Dark groaned and dug the blade deeper, drawing blood. Jack forcefully took the knife from him and threw it across the room.

But, that small cut was all it needed.

Dark chuckled and pushed Sean down. “ **Did you really think that’d be enough to stop me?** ”

Dark traced his index finger around the cut and raised his hand for Jack to see. The blood followed the trail, slowly flowing out the wound.

All the color from Jack’s face instantly disappeared.

Dark wound the blood into a long trail around him.

“ **Now** ,” Dark started. “ **I’m sure you’ve seen Anti’s powers by now. Yet, you haven’t witnessed mine before.** ” The blood formed an array of sharp needle-like spikes practically aimed at Jack.

Jack looked down. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Dark or the projectiles around him. He felt his body trembling, either in visible fear or withheld anger. Dark was toying with him now. He hated this humiliation.  

“ **Is something wrong?** ” Dark asked in a condescending tone. Jack stayed silent. “ **…Maybe I should change my target.** ”

The spikes launched themselves at Dark, causing a great groan of distress.

“Stop it!” Jack yelled. “What good is hurting Mark? How does it achieve anything?”

Then, Jack felt a little pinprick from behind.

“ **Heh** ,” Dark chuckled. “ **A little distracted, aren’t we?** ”

_Oh no.....nonononono_

Jack tried to get up and run, but couldn't move an inch.

“ **Well** ,” Dark said. “ **Let’s say that I do decide to listen to you.** **If I can’t harm Mark, should I target you?** ”

Jack felt an immense pain as something small immediately drove itself into his back, tearing his flesh apart. He yelled in agony. The object sharpened and dug deeper inside him. Tears formed in his eyes.

Blood floated over to Dark's hand.

“ **Ah, that should be enough** ,” Dark said.

Dark removed the object and closed the wound. The source of the pain instantly withdrew. Jack took deep breaths, ushering away the rest of the discomfort it left behind.

“Y-You sick bastard, how the hell are you anything like Mark?” Jack yelled.

Dark twirled the newly obtained blood, forming a ball.

“ **Someone’s got a big mouth. Maybe I should fix that**.”

Dark gently squeezed the ball.

Nothing happened at first. Only silence swept the room.

The Irishman looked around, convinced that Dark was doing some sort of dirty trick to mess with his head. The green haired man knew that Dark was only doing this to intimidate him.

Pain flared in his chest and fear ran rampant through his mind. Jack quickly put a hand on his chest. He couldn't feel his pulse. His heart stopped. Jack panicked. He didn’t know what to do or what was going on. Breathing wasn’t making any of the pain go away. He took quick and shallow breaths, almost causing him to hyperventilate. Next, his legs shook for a bit and gave out. The green haired man collapsed, holding himself.

Dark chuckled and dissolved the ball, loving the piteous sight before him.

“ **What happened to the fire in your eyes? Frightened by a little heart attack?** ”

Jack’s eyes widened.

Dark could control blood within people’s bodies.

Dark could give people heart attacks.

And he wouldn’t care as long as it doesn’t hurt Anti.

“ **Here’s what’s going to happen** ,” Dark began. “ **From now on, you are going to do what I say. Since I know threats against you won’t work, I’ll threaten his life instead. You’re also going to keep quiet about this, or I’ll make him suffer far worse than you could ever imagine.** ”

Sean hesitantly nodded, starting to slowly accept defeat.

“ **And to answer your question, I don’t want to be anything _like_ him.  I’m going to be better than him**.”

Sean wanted to yell.

He wanted to scream out all the ways that Mark was so much better. He wanted to shout about the unfairness of the two beings stealing their bodies and ultimately their lives.

But nothing would come out. He was scared silent.

Tears quickly started forming in his eyes. Everything seemed to just collapse in front of him and he couldn’t do a thing. He held his face, not wanting Dark to see him cry.

Fortunately for him, Dark was already out of time. His body fell with a heavy thud.

 ** _Fuckin' excessive dumbass_** , Anti thought. **_I guess you'll have to finish his job for him_**.

~

Coming back from his distant memories, Jack stumbled out of bed. His body felt very faint and unstable. For once, he barely had the energy to do anything. That wouldn't stop him from trying though. He looked around the apartment. Virtually everything from the ritual last night had disappeared. There were no traces of ritual circles, candles, or knives. Most importantly, there was no trace of Mark. Jack felt doubt pierce his heart.

What if Dark didn't keep his promise?

The green haired man ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to stress himself out. He continued to look for anything out of place. On the kitchen table, he saw a fresh plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs. Jack smiled at the kind gesture. After warming the food up in the microwave for a minute, he rushed to grab a fork from the silverware drawer and taste the food. Everything was so good. It didn’t take long for him to douse the pancakes in syrup and devour everything on his plate. Just as Jack was getting up to go wash his empty plate, he found a little note stuck to the bottom.

_Sorry I left so early. I had to go check on Chica. Call me when you wake up ~ M_

Sean could practically feel the grin plastered on his face slowly fade. He couldn’t talk to Mark the same knowing that Dark could still manipulate them. Jack wouldn’t let Anti hurt Mark so easily. But, Dark was _inside_ Mark. It would be too easy for him to cause trouble.

Deep in thought, the Irishman sat back down.

_Everything’s gone to shit ever since those two showed up. Now I’m supposed to do what they say or regret it later. Fuck me. Why am I so fucking useless? Is there anything I can do?_

He pushed away his finished plate, folded his arms on the table and laid his head on them.

_Could there be?_

Mark’s POV

Mark sat on the couch, playing with the large pooch in front of him. He made it his priority to finally make a move on the Irishman. However, he didn’t know how he would do it. So, he called the first person he could think of knowing.

“H-Hey, Tyler, it’s me.”

“Heh, it’s been a while man. How have you been?”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking. Um, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, ask away.”

Mark sighed, feeling like a nervous middle schooler. “T-There’s this person I really like, and I don’t know how I should ask them out.”

Tyler snorted, struggling to hold back his laughter. “Dude, you’re like twenty-seven and you still don’t know how to do this? Come on, man. What about those girls you tried putting moves on before?”

 _Maybe this isn’t the time to tell him about Jack. Hopefully whatever he has me do still works for guys,_ Mark thought.

“This is...different,” Mark said. “So, does the great Stone-faced Tyler have any advice for a poor soul like me?”

Tyler chuckled. “Do what any other guy does to get a girl to date him. I don’t know if this will work, but just try not to freak out in front of her, alright?”  

“Right... “

“First, you’re going to need something nice to wear. I’m sorry, but a T-shirt and Jeans isn’t going to help you. I know for a fact that you should own at least one suit. “

“Well, I might have an old one that my mom got me for Graduation when I was pursuing engineering. Haven’t wore it for a few years though.”

“Let’s just hope your relationship doesn’t end up the same way,” Tyler joked. “Don’t worry too much about how you can get the suit. You could always drop by the store and buy one later. Er, try renting one so you don’t have to pay all that much. Tuition is still a bitch if you aren’t swimming in scholarships.”

“Wait a sec,” he asked. The red-haired man got up from the couch and looked for a notepad. He didn’t want to make Tyler repeat himself. Finding a small pad of sticky notes around his work desk, he grabbed a pen and went back to the couch. “Alright, you were saying?”

“Next, is your hair still red?”

Mark felt the ends of his lips turn downward. “Tyler, don’t tell me-.”

“Mark, it’s only temporary. If you want to take her out to a fancy restaurant, they will not let you in if you look like you belong in some punk rock band.”

The red-haired man messed with his floof. “Fine, next?”

“Get some flowers. Romantic stuff like that can really brighten up someone’s day. Plus, it can’t hurt. Just don’t pick up some random weeds. Go buy a cheap rose or a pretty bouquet.”

Mark kept on writing. “Anything else?”

“Nothing else, just be yourself. If she likes you back, she wouldn’t have needed the other stuff. You only need to look presentable for your date. “

Mark smiled. “Thanks man. I appreciate the help. “

“Alright, good luck Mark. Not that you’ll be needing it.”

“Bye Tyler,” he replied.

That being said, Mark hung up and looked over his notes. Tyler said that he only needed to be himself. Everything else was just a romantic gesture. So, he decided to hold off on the flowers and just go with the restaurant. A change of scenery would be nice for them. That left behind several things: finding a place, getting a suit, dyeing his hair, and asking Jack out.

Since they weren’t dating just yet, Mark decided to go to a bit more casual place. One nearby restaurant had glass walls on the second floor. Seeing the city lit up after dark would provide an excellent view. Having a casual "date" also gave him a big bonus; He wouldn't have to get a suit or dye his hair. He could wear his lucky flannel and hope for the best.

Finally, he would have to ask out Jack.

Mustering up every bit of courage he had, Mark went to his contacts list and stared at Jack’s picture.

All he would have to do is press Jack’s name twice. That wasn’t so hard, right?

Mark was absolutely terrified. The last thing he wanted to do was end his chance at a relationship and ultimately risk his friendship with Jack. He set the phone down with a groan and held his face.

Then, the phone started to ring on its own.

Mark dread to see who the caller was. Picking the device up, he looked at the name.

Sean McLoughlin

_Jack_

Forcing all the panic and worry from his mind, he answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey Mark, it’s Jack. Thanks for the breakfast earlier. It was _really_ good. Plus, I found the little note you left for me. Was there something you wanted to tell me?”

Mark decided to use this to his advantage.

“About that, do you want to go out to eat this Friday? I figured that all this Dark and Anti stuff has been taking a huge toll on the both of us. I know a nice place where we could just sit back at and relax. We might even go see a movie later.”

Jack chuckled. “Dinner and a movie? Sounds awesome. I’m in.”

Mark smiled. “Great, so Friday at 9 sound good to you?”

“That’s fine. See you later, Mark.”

“Bye Jack.”

The call finally ended. Mark’s heart threatened to pound out of his chest. He just asked Jack out on an unofficial date.

And Jack said yes.

Jack’s POV

Jack was extremely excited. There have been no signs of Anti nor Dark for the past two days. He didn’t have to worry about being controlled or manipulated anymore. It was all so freeing, so refreshing. Now, he could safely enjoy some time out with Mark.

It didn’t take long to get ready. Jack’s eagerness made him rush through his shower. Because Mark picked a more casual place, Jack wore his favorite Reaper T-shirt and some ripped jeans. He took a few moments to fix his hair and glanced at the time. With the directions already set on his phone, he had enough time to poke around and find the place. He headed out the door, locking it on his way out.  

The place wasn’t far from Jack’s apartment. It was just a few turns here and there. Within a few minutes, he found himself at a very familiar place. He got out his car and walked inside. A certain waiter greeted him.

“How’s it going, Jack? Took you long enough to come visit me.” The Swedish man lightly punched him in the shoulder.

“Heh, I almost forgot you worked here. How have things been going, Fe?”

“Pretty nice. Marzia’s Dad is starting to warm up to me. How are things going with your friend?”

How would Jack explain how he and Mark were possessed by different versions of themselves and forced to do some ritual? Easy, he wouldn’t.

“O-Oh, we’re doing okay. Speaking of my friend, I’m here to see him right now on the second floor.”

“I hope you guys have a nice time. Stay away from the right corner of the room. Some guy showed up not too long ago in this nice suit and everything. I thought he was here for a date or something. Anyway, he's sitting at a booth there. He just gives me bad vibes is all.”

“Wait,” Jack interrupted. “A suit? Why would anyone need to wear a suit here?”

“Go see for yourself,” Felix told him. “Just head over to your left and take the stairs up.”

Jack nodded. “Thanks, Felix. See you later.”

“Later, Jack!” Felix said as he walked to the kitchen.

Jack made his way to the second floor. Looking around, he found another set of eyes looking back at him. A chill ran down Jack’s spine.

Those eyes seemed to look right through him.

That suit belonged to the person he was supposed to be eating with. That body definitely belonged to the person he was supposed to be eating with.

But he wasn’t here right now.

Those eyes belonged to a different person. One Jack never wanted to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back and I hope to be writing more often. I also might start working on another story, so please continue to support me. And as always, thanks for reading!


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